Blue Bloods
by IrisEclipsed
Summary: Tenten thinks he's an ass; Neji thinks she's dirt. Marriage seems inevitable for the couple that can't stand each other.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I know I shouldn't be starting ANOTHER fic, but I can't help myself. I have this huge plot idea, all these twists and turns, for this particular fic and the creativity is overflowing. I'll be finishing 'DNB' soon so this is like the next NejiTen fic I'm doing.

Disclaimer: I don't own.

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Chapter 1

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**Tenten**

I pressed my forehead against the white porcelain sink rim and breathed. My first meeting with my future in-laws was in a few hours and I'm also supposed to meet the infamous Hyuuga Neji who's supposed to be my future husband. He is a complete enigma to me; I've never seen him, talked to him, never had any contact with the man and yet he's going to marry me. Not that he has a choice in the matter, and neither do I, but it's still weird. I mean, come on. And why the hell is the Hyuuga clan picking _me_ of all people to be his bride? I have no clan, no name, and no wealth of my own so it makes no sense to have me marry the prodigy of one of the most prestigious clans in all of Konoha.

Odd?

I think so.

This is all Tsunade-sama's fault since she approved the marriage. God, you'd think that since we're both women, being sixteen _sucks_ since you're officially of marriageable age, ninja don't live long so you've got to start earlier is what she said and I almost threw up at her implications, you'd think she'd be just a little more understanding of my feelings but _no_ . . . I know those Hyuugas won her over with food or something. Maybe some expensive diamonds . . . Ass holes.

There's nothing really special _about_ me, no bloodline limit, no nothing. I don't have a crazy hair color like Sakura (Pink hair? Despite what people think it's au natural). I'm not drop dead gorgeous like Ino and I'm not the sibling of a powerful Kage like Temari. I am of average height (155.6 cm), have dark brown hair, brown eyes and a slight tan. I like Chinese food and sesame dumplings and astrology and going out into an open field at night to watch the stars. The only special thing about me is that I am the only weapons' mistress in all of Konoha.

Now, Sakura and Ino say I'm really nice and compassionate and everything, but I'm _definitely_ not going to act that way around my _future_ beau. Maybe if I act like a bitch then he'll hate me enough to cancel our engagement and I can go back to being known as the Weapons' Mistress around Konoha instead of the _Hyuuga Bride_.

Ugh. The title puts a bad taste in my mouth.

I've decided not to try and impress the Hyuuga, so I'm just going to the meeting in my normal wear: white Chinese style shirt with maroon trim around the edges, matching maroon pants that end at the middle of my calves and some black sandals. Maybe it'll give the impression that I'm not impressed by their wealth and extravagance, if there is any. I tug on my black gloves, taking time to put them on just right, and readjust my hitai-ate.

_Come on_, I tell myself while ignoring the butterflies that had suddenly invaded my stomach, _you can do this. Don't show any fear, dammit!_

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I'm halfway into the busy streets of Konoha before I realize that I have absolutely _no idea where the Hyuuga compound is_. My god, how can I be so stupid? And people keep staring—more like casting side long glances that they _think_ I don't notice—and it's irritating me. I'm already a little nervous and those furtive looks make me even _more_ nervous. Ok, I know I'm trying to go for a tough cookie sort of thing, but these are the _Hyuugas_. They are one of _the_ most influential families in Konoha and now I'm finally thinking straight about this thing: If I upset them they could make my life a living hell and I'd be stuck doing D-rank missions for the rest of my life if they talk to Tsunade-sama and I would _still_ have to marry Hyuuga Neji.

This sucks.

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**Neji**

Sometimes I really hate my family, especially my uncle Hiashi who is head of the clan. He tells me I'm supposed to meet some girl named Tenten, that she's a capable kunoichi, the only weapons' mistress in Konoha and gives me her picture.

Oh, and I'm going to marry her. Ha, ha, ha!

Nice joke, Hiashi-sama. Not.

And he tells me all of this _three hours before the meeting_. Geez, couldn't he have given me more of a warning, I mean, three hours? A few days notice would've been nice!

The girl—Tenting, Tenten, I can't remember her name, whatever—doesn't look too bad in the picture. Her hair is in two buns on top of her head, reminds me of a mouse, and she's got nice looking skin and a smile on her lips. It's weird to see a smile since Hyuuga don't do it often, well, except for Hinata but she doesn't really count. I know a lot of people would kill me if I said that out loud, but come on! She can't even keep the cool and collected Hyuuga disposition that's practically programmed into our beings! The girl in the picture has brown eyes, very plain and not memorable, but they're very alluring for some reason. Maybe it's because I've always been staring into white eyes, but the brown looks very . . . Colorful.

A change.

God, I don't know why I'm thinking these things.

Brown is the color of dirt.

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**Tenten**

I don't like asking people for help unless it's completely and totally necessary. My tenacity is great and I know some people would say it's good never to give in, but sometimes it can be my greatest flaw. I've come close, about six different times, to asking someone the directions to the Hyuuga house but my pride won't let me ask. It keeps telling me to be self-sufficient and that's how I _want_ to be, but I need help. I've been roaming aimlessly around Konoha for an hour and now I have about fifty minutes to get to the Hyuuga house.

I must not have been watching where I was going because suddenly I slam into a very hard, very male chest. My gasp of surprise is audible and my sandal gives way underneath me. I'm expecting my ass to hit the ground but I'm still standing with a hand gripping my upper arm and another at my waist to steady me. I look up and I swear I have to control my urge to hyperventilate.

Before me is the most gorgeous specimen of masculinity I have ever seen.

His hair is long and black, tied in a high pony tail at the back of his head, strands hanging down to frame his beautiful pale face. I lick my lips which have suddenly gone dry. His features seem carved out of stone, perfect, and he's looking at me void of expression. Even with all his gorgeous-ness it's his eyes that draw me in; they were black, black, black. It was like staring into an endless night.

"Thank you," I say, as he takes his hands off my waist and arm.

"You should be more careful." he replies curtly before walking off to god knows where.

"Where's the Hyuuga place?" I ask desperately before he's out of hearing range and before I lose my nerve. The man stops and turns around to give me his profile.

"That way." he says, pointing down the street.

Helpful.

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I'm on time, just barely, and a servant takes me to a special meeting room. A long oak table sits in the center and three square cushions sit around it; two in front of me and one opposite. I get the idea and sit down as gracefully as I can while the servant brings me hot tea in a ceramic cup. So far all I've met are the Hyuuga servants and they keep clucking their tongues and giving me these weird glances, as if I'm . . . Uncivilized by their standards. I probably am, but, hey! That's what the Hyuuga, and their servants, get for picking me as Neji's bride.

The door slides open in front of me and in steps a tall man dressed entirely in white. Long black hair is loose down his back and when he looks at me I see his eyes are white and pupil less.

I've never seen eyes like that so I must've been staring quite rudely.

"Tenten-san," his voice is deep and snaps me out of my stupor, "a pleasure to meet you at last."

I nod and bow my head slightly as a sign of respect. "You too, Hyuuga-sama." I lift my head and see that he's talking quietly to a servant, brows dipped low in annoyance it seems.

Hyuuga Hiashi turns to me and gives me an apologetic look. "My nephew has not arrived and no one can find him, Tenten-san. I apologize for his disrespect towards you by not appearing."

No one has _ever_ given my such an elegant 'sorry' before and all I can do is nod. Hyuuga Hiashi has some sort of 'old world' manner and is so . . . Polite. The door behind me opens with a snap and I see Hiashi's eyes narrow. Ah, the nephew has arrived. I've coached myself to look calm in the mirror, so that I wouldn't fall to pieces when I see my future husband, and when I turn around to look at him all the coaching keeps me from opening my mouth and blatantly staring in shock.

Hyuuga Neji is _gorgeous_.

My god, I've never seen such a hot guy, well, except for my mysterious rescuer in the street. He has long dark hair, like Hyuuga Hiashi, which is tied back in a loose pony tail down his back and he's wearing all white. It matches the color of his eyes perfectly, white, and I'm beginning to realize that those same eyes are fixed on me, cold and calculating, as if he was measuring my worth on an invisible scale. When I open my mouth to say hello he turns away abruptly and gives me the cold shoulder.

What.

The.

Hell.

Hyuuga Neji sits down beside me, keeping careful distance as if I have a disease, and turns to his uncle with a blank expression.

I resist the urge to punch him.

"Now that we are all present," Hyuuga Hiashi gives Neji a look and drops gracefully into his own seat, "we can begin. You both understand why you are here and I expect you two to act civil until the wedding. The date has not been specified and will be chosen by you."

He indicates _me_ and I'm a little stunned, and grateful. I can choose the date, make it as far off as possible . . .

"Hn."

I hear that sound and instinctively _know_ it's Neji. I've never heard him talk or grunt or anything before, but it sounds like something he would 'say'.

"Tenten-san."

"Yes, Hyuuga-sama?"

"Call me Hiashi-sama."

"Of course, Hiashi-sama."

Oh yes, _big_ difference.

The Hyuuga are big on manners, so why isn't Hyuuga Neji the same way?

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**Neji**

My future wife seems a bit slow.

"Tenten-san," Hiashi says, "what date would you like?"

She doesn't answer and bites her lower lip.

"Hn." I mutter, annoyed.

She hears it and turns to me, eyes glaring furiously.

Her anger is strangely attractive.

"Is something wrong?" she asks sweetly. I'm slightly taken aback because the suppressed anger is visible on her face but there is no hint of it in her voice. There's a smile on her lips and I'm wary of her all of a sudden. I remember a talk between Uchiha Sasuke and I and remember something he told me: A smile can hide dark intentions. She seems the conniving type, the type of person to show you a smile and then think up a plan to humiliate you behind your back.

I need to be careful.

"Pick a date for the wedding." I reply in my deep baritone, feeling Hiashi's eyes on me. He's studying us. If—I can't stand this—we can get along he'll probably move the marriage forward. Oh god. Hinata told me in her stuttering voice that he was thinking of sending us to marriage counseling in preparation for the 'wedding night' . . .

Tenten sighs. "Five months from now, how about that?"

I see Hiashi's eyebrows rise in surprise and I don't comment on the date when he glances at me for a second.

Today is February 3rd and my birthday is exactly five months away on July 3rd.

"July 3rd it is for the wedding. Now," Hiashi lays a sheet of paper on the table, "I know you two have never really met, and I know both of you are apprehensive about this arrangement, but both of you will get along fine. Hokage has assigned you both to Team Gai along with another young man named Rock Lee who I hear is a capable taijutsu user. Starting tomorrow you two will be on the same team so learn to like each other and cooperate."

I'm ecstatic.

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A/N: I don't know if I'm going to keep the entire fic in first-person POV because I've never done a long fic like that. I'm not used to it but I think I'm going to try. If not first-person I'll change it to third-person ominiscient. I'm not sure . . . Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Wow, a beautiful response to the first chapter! Thanks! I'm glad people like it because I enjoy writing it.

Disclaimer: I don't own.

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Chapter 2

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**Neji**

Ok. She's proven she's a weapons' mistress, now I want her to remove these damn shuriken. I'm pinned up against a tree with my sleeves nailed by no less than five shuriken and she even got my legs.

It's humiliating and it sucks.

Plus, Tenten managed to find my blind spot.

She didn't know it at first, she thought she'd gotten lucky, but when she saw the horrified look on my face, did my best to mask it but couldn't quite get it right, this evil smile spread across her face and she really nailed those weapons into my clothes. Dammit, I'm going to have holes in my robes. I wish she wasn't so observant. Tenten's probably the first person to find my blind spot and it irks me, not even my 'rivals' have found it yet and this chit of a girl comes and discovers it in ten minutes, maybe less.

Once again: It's humiliating.

_And_ she doesn't even have a bloodline limit.

Tenten smirks as she comes towards me, sashaying and taking her sweet time while our teammate and teacher watch with avid interest.

"Having fun?" she asks coyly, brown eyes sparkling with amusement.

I try pulling free but my only reward is the sound of my robes, the material tearing.

"Hn."

"Oh, Neji, don't be like that!"

Tenten pokes my chest and I want to Jyuuken her to hell.

I growl deep in the back of my throat and it makes her smile wider.

Lee comes bounding up, smiling while tears run freely down his face, and envelopes Tenten in a giant hug. She starts letting out mock screams and laughs as she's lifted off the ground and spun around in a circle. Gai starts hugging them both when Lee slows down and sheds a few tears himself.

I am _really_ annoyed now.

"Tenten! Beautiful flower of our team, that was wonderful!" Gai exclaims, giving her two thumbs up. "So much youth went into that attack that I was overwhelmed by it!"

I'm not sure he was overwhelmed by youth.

I bet it was stupidity.

"Tenten!" Lee clenches his right hand into a fist and thrusts it into the air. "We must celebrate your victory over Hyuuga Neji! What do you wish to do?"

She frowns, deep in thought, and then shrugs. "I'm tired. I just want to go home. You guys go do something fun instead."

Gai smiles and yells, "Lee!"

"Yes, Gai-sensei." Lee answers automatically while saluting him.

"We shall run 500 laps around Konoha so that we will be bursting with youth tomorrow! After a long run and a huge workout we will sleep soundly and wake up refreshed with youthfulness!"

"Yes, Gai-sensei!"

He actually looks pretty enthusiastic about running 500 laps around Konoha.

Weirdo.

They run off and Tenten and I are left.

"Care to remove these shuriken?" I ask, sarcasm evident.

"I don't know," she turns around and asks innocently, "care to stop being an ass?"

Ok, that was uncalled for.

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**Tenten**

I grudgingly remove my weapons, pulling them out roughly so that they rip hole into his once perfect and immaculate white robes. There's a particularly large hole where I 'accidentally' sliced it.

Oops!

He gives me a nasty look and I smirk in return.

"Well," I say, "if you want to avoid this again then don't let me get y—"

Neji's hand comes out of no where and it's over my mouth. I can't make a sound and his eyes glare down into my own. God, they are gorgeous eyes . . . Too bad their owner is a complete moron.

"Don't _ever_ mention that," he hisses. "Do you understand?"

I'm angry, so I bite his hand. Hard.

He lets go quickly and I push him away from me.

"Don't ever touch me." I say. "We may be engaged but we're not married yet, so keep your hands to yourself."

"If you think I'd ever want you _that_ way," Neji replies dryly, "you are sadly mistaken."

Oh no he did not.

I turn around sharply and walk away with my head held high.

Just you wait, Hyuuga Neji.

You're going to regret saying that to me.

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The day I came back to my apartment after the first meeting with Hyuuga Hiashi, about two weeks ago, I found a white bird perched on my windowsill. It was really weird because I've never seen it before. I opened the window and it flew inside, immediately perching on shoulder, then flying around until it finally landed on the living room sofa.

I shook my head and went into my bedroom to change into some loose clothes; a giant t-shirt and a pair of shorts.

When I turned my pants upside down a note fell out of the side pocket.

Intrigued, I picked it up.

When I opened it I was surprised.

_Tenten,_

_You don't know me, I know that, but I'd like for you write me back after you finish reading this._

_I bet you're wondering why you should read this at all._

_It must be frustrating being known as the Hyuuga Bride instead of the Weapons' Mistress around Konoha now . . ._

You got that right.

_And I can imagine that you are wary about marrying Hyuuga Neji. It's understandable. I know exactly how you feel since I'm also stuck in an arranged marriage . . ._

Whoa. I do a double take on those last words. This guy is in an arranged marriage too?! Oh my god . . . I'm not the only sucker in this village after all!

_My family and the Hokage wish for me to marry a girl I've never met before and the prospect seems . . . Daunting._

_If you decide not to write back I understand. _

_Just send the bird back with a blank piece of paper._

_-Anonymous_

I knew right then that it was the guy who helped me in Konoha. Poor guy, stuck in an arranged marriage . . . And he was so hot!

I wrote back immediately and my words might've been a little . . . Snappish?

_Anonymous,_

_First, thank you for reminding me that I will be marrying Hyuuga Neji. Really great for a letter header, don't you think? If you can't tell, that's sarcasm. And yes, you're right, it is frustrating being known as the Hyuuga Bride. It's annoying as hell._

_How do you know who I am? Are you a stalker? You looked young enough on the street but . . . Looks can be deceiving. I'm assuming you're a shinobi, but feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. I don't want to make an ass of myself, but it might be a little late to worry now that I'm writing back to a complete stranger._

_Answer me back._

_-Tenten_

Today the bird was back and tied on its leg was a small folded piece of paper.

The bird flew onto my shoulder and waited patiently while I untied the string around its leg and got the letter. I walked into my kitchen and filled a small shallow dish with fresh water and set a slice of bread out on the counter for it to eat. It looked pretty happy and began nibbling at the offering instantly.

_Tenten,_

_No, I am not a stalker, you just assume the worst don't you, and yes, I am a shinobi._

_I know who you are from the people of the village. You're very popular, in case you haven't noticed. They praise you very highly for your accuracy and prowess. I was actually a bit surprised. I've also heard about you from Hokage-sama, she says you're an exceptional kunoichi._

_We won't be complete strangers for long if we keep corresponding this way._

_Send your reply back with the bird._

_-Anonymous_

He's a smart ass.

Strangely, I like it.

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_Anonymous,_

_I don't know whether to be appreciative or insulted by your 'surprise'._

_I don't usually assume the worst, it's just that this letter thing is weird is all._

_The Hokage says I'm an exceptional kunoichi?_

_What does she say about you?_

_Oh, and care to tell me your name?_

_-Tenten_

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A/N: What do you think? Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: It's been a long time, hasn't it? I've been gone, my computer's been gone, but I'm back and I've updated. Thank you to all you lovely reviewers and I didn't have a chance to answer you all and I'm sorry. Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own.

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Chapter 3

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**Neji**

Uzumaki Naruto, Rock Lee, Chouji and Kiba stare openly at me in complete shock. Uchiha, Nara and Aburame don't _stare_ but they're definitely giving me odd looks as well.

"Y-You . . . I-I can't believe it!" Naruto cries, pointing at me.

Hasn't anyone told him that pointing is rude? I mean, I know he doesn't have any parents, but someone has to have taught him some sort of proper etiquette.

I don't know why they're all staring at me weird, I don't look different today, usual Hyuuga robes, and we're just milling around the memorial, something we seem to be doing a lot nowadays. We haven't been assigned missions for a while and the only ways to pass the time are training, sleeping, eating or 'hanging out' as Lee calls it.

"Neji," Lee says seriously, looking into my eyes, "you were just being funny."

I'm not really paying attention to his words since his eye brows have caught my attention. You can't miss them. They're _huge_, like giant black caterpillars permanently plastered onto his overly happy face. Trust me; you wouldn't be paying attention to words if those things were in your face. You know why the Kazekage has no eyebrows? It's because Lee stole them. Of course Gai has larger ones, but he's not sixteen. They say they aren't related but the resemblance is just uncanny . . .

I give him a patented Hyuuga glare and he backs off.

"I didn't do anything." I say flatly.

"You just made a _joke_ about Kakashi-sensei's porn fixation!" Naruto screams. "That's not normal!"

"Hn."

"That's not normal Neji behavior!" he insisted, looking around to the other members of the group for support.

Kiba, Chouji and, surprisingly, Shino nod their heads.

Uchiha Sasuke is eerily silent.

"Hn."

There is silence all around for a moment until . . .

"You've been acting different," Sasuke says suddenly. "More . . . Social, less moody—"

"That's funny coming from one of the most anti-social and moody people in all of Konoha." I respond automatically, tone sharp.

"See?" Naruto cries, pointing again. "Neji did it again! Something's wrong!"

I glare at the Uchiha and he's giving me the patented Uchiha smirk.

Damn him.

"Ever since you and Tenten began spending time together you've developed a sense of humor." Sasuke remarks, voice cool.

"I've always had a sense of humor." I snap. Noticing the barely concealed grins and hearing small snickers I glare at each person in turn, daring them to comment. "Hn."

"We're not saying it's a bad thing," Shikamaru sighs and rubs the back of his neck tiredly, "we're just pointing it out." I don't respond and he asks, "How're things with Tenten?"

"She's . . . A handful." I reply carefully. I can think of a better word but it would not be appropriate for my proper Hyuuga upbringing.

Kiba scoffs. "More than a handful. She pinned you to that tree in ten seconds flat and you couldn't do a thing about it. No one's ever beaten you that badly, Hyuuga."

There are murmurs of disbelief and laughter at my expense.

"She beat you?" Sasuke asks, smirking.

Shikamaru groans. "You lost to a girl?"

I grind my teeth in anger.

I didn't know news of my defeat would be that interesting, but from the pitying glances I had received throughout the day I realized that good news travels fast. Wonderful. Absolutely _fantastic_. This was even worse than the marriage, which people have been wishing me well on for the past few weeks, because it could've been avoided.

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Tenten and I don't get along well, I'm sure that's evident from all our conversations and encounters, but it's starting to affect our missions, more specifically, the _types_ of missions we've been sent on. First, there was the mission in Kumogakure (Cloud Village in the Lightning Country) where Tenten and I had to pretend to be a married couple and steal some precious documents from some general, then there was the D-rank mission of taking care of the daimyo's three overactive brats.

And we've been sent on many D-rank missions for the past few days, like the one described above, and I've grown to hate it more and more each day.

I _hate_ children now and I vow never to have any of my own.

I shall break my vow in the end because the whole point of this marriage with Tenten is for us to leave progeny.

I can tell Tenten hates it as well because every time we visit the Hokage there's a forced smile on her face when we receive our mission.

But the kids like her, no, _love_ her.

She's nice to them, plays with them, feeds them, takes them around Konoha and is even willing to hold their hands. Tenten's like the perfect nanny, nice but can get angry when someone does something wrong, like hitting for instance. She's like a natural with children and all I do is stand to the side and watch.

I feel kind of useless during these missions.

They call me 'Scary Man'.

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**Tenten**

"Can you please help me?" I asked, exasperated beyond belief with Hyuuga Neji.

He's just standing there, has the audacity to give me a what-the-hell-do-you-want-me-to-do look, and then continues watching _me_ try to handle two babies who are currently throwing their food at me. I've got rice stuck in my hair and it's running down my neck into my shirt. It's very uncomfortable.

"You're doing fine." he replies.

"Oh yeah," I say sarcastically, "I'm doing _great_." He looks at me and I give him my best, menacing glare. "Come help me," I growl and, miraculously, he comes over.

Neji picks up a bowl of rice, dips the spoon in, holds the spoon out to a wide-eyed baby, and, as if he expected it, the baby promptly starts screaming with tears streaming down her face. He puts the bowl and spoon down and steps away, then gives me a 'look'.

Having him try to feed that baby just made things so much worse.

Dammit!

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"I'm not good with kids." Neji says after we've returned the babies to the daimyo of the Water Country's wife.

"I can tell." I reply, picking grains of rice out of my hair with a grimace. How can two babies do so much damage? When I get back to my apartment I will take a long, hot, well-deserved shower. I look at Neji and I notice he's giving me a slightly apologetic look, though it's gone before I can really appreciate the fact that he's sorry he's terrible with children. "Well," I say, shrugging my shoulders, "at least you tried."

Neji reaches over, my god, my heart rate has increased to an unnatural speed, and he gently brushes my cheek with his finger.

He stares at me for a moment, Hyuuga eyes watching me, and then says, "You had rice on your cheek."

I swear, I almost fell over.

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Ok, the last few weeks with Neji, three weeks pretty much, have been tolerable. I mean, we don't get into nearly as many fights as before and we can actually have a civil conversation once in a while.

I'm going to tell you something.

The real reason we don't get into too many fights is because of Hyuuga Hiashi and the Hokage.

Hiashi apparently went to Tsunade-sama and asked for Team Gai, minus Gai and Lee, to be put on D-rank missions until we could learn to get along. Oh, and make them deal with kids because we'll need to practice for the real thing.

Needless to say, Neji and I have improved our behavior towards one another, especially in the presence of Hiashi and/or the Hokage, but when we're alone we get into a lot of arguments. That thing after dropping those babies off was just a fluke, a weird . . . _Thing_ that Neji did.

And I liked it.

A lot.

A lot more than I'm willing to admit out loud.

I mean, he ruined the whole moment by saying 'You had rice on your cheek', but god, my heart was pounding and . . . I'm _attracted_ to him.

Now, for me, it can't be all physical, but it's a very good start towards a relationship if I'm physically attracted to a guy. Very good because that means he's hot. But this whole thing was just raging hormones.

Yes . . . Hormones . . .

I turn to my window at the sound of tapping and see the familiar white bird tapping it's beak against the glass. Hurriedly I go to it and open the window, allowing the bird to fly in and perch on my shoulder as I get the note untied from its leg. After I get it off I go to my kitchen and put out some bird seeds, I went out and bought some a few days ago, and set out a shallow dish of water for it as I read the letter.

It had been a week since 'anonymous' had last written me and I was filled with anticipation.

_Tenten, _

_Don't be insulted, I was giving you a compliment. If you look hard enough you'll see it nestled between the words of my previous letter. I agree that this correspondence is a little odd, but I trust that you are willing to continue._

_I've never asked the Hokage what she thought of my skill, but I'm sure that she thinks they are adequate and useful for missions of whatever caliber. _

_You want to know what my name is?_

_Maybe some other time._

_-Anonymous_

Oh, that absolute ass hole.

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_Anonymous,_

_I don't think it's fair that you know my name but I have no idea what your name is or who you are. To tell you the truth, this whole arrangement is a bit fishy. I mean, what if you were some person from another village trying to get the goods on Konoha? I could be talking to a missing-nin, you, and telling you all kinds of secrets about my village and totally doom us all. _

_I don't know why, but I'm not going to stop writing to you._

_It's weird, but I think I can trust you . . . To some extent._

_Seriously, it would make me feel a whole lot better to know your name._

_-Tenten_

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A/N: Do Tenten and Neji seem to be getting along better? They're supposed to . . . Somewhat. Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Chapter 4! Sorry I couldn't update last week. I was busy, lol. Enjoy!

Oh my god, who has seen Shippuuden episode 18? I loved it so much even if nothing really happened. The Team Gai thing was wonderful and Neji's reluctance was so hilarious. So far it's my favorite episode and episode 14 is close behind because of the NejiTen-ness near the end. NejiTen FTW!

Disclaimer: I don't own.

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Chapter 4

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**Tenten**

I'm feeling a little frustrated here.

After communicating with Anonymous for the past four weeks via letter I _still_ don't know much about him besides the fact that he's a shinobi and a Konoha resident. I'm assuming on the Konoha resident thing because the guy says that he talked to Tsunade-sama, but, I'm not too sure on that. Ugh. I didn't think his identity would bug me so much but it does. I can't _stand_ not knowing. Sometimes I wonder if it's one of the non-shinobi citizens playing a trick on me or it's some pedophile who's writing me back.

Shiver.

XXXXX

My friends are acting strange—stranger than usual—and I'm getting annoyed.

"What are you guys doing?" I ask. Ino, Sakura and Hinata flinch under my intense scrutiny and I see a glimpse of paper, which Ino throws her arm over, and a gorgeous kunai set. "Oh my god!" I exclaim in mock surprise, eyeing it with want. "That kunai set is amazing!"

Sakura groans, saying to Ino and Hinata, "I _told_ you I sensed her this time."

"Yeah? Well you said that _five other times_ before." Ino snapped.

"Y-You weren't s-supposed t-to find out, Tenten." Hinata stammers with a smile.

I grin uncontrollably and gush over the weapons. "I can't believe you guys got these for me! My birthday's not for six days!"

"Now you know why we were trying to be secretive," Ino drawls. "It worked like a charm, didn't it fore head?"

Sakura rolls her eyes. "You like them, right?"

I throw my arms around each of them in turn and then read the card.

_Happy 17__th__ birthday, Tenten!_

_It's a new kunai set but don't go shoving every weapon up Neji's ass, ok?_

_Love,_

_Ino, Sakura & Hinata_

"You guys are the best!" I cry, running my fingers over the cold metal. "But I can't promise that I won't shove them all up his ass."

XXXXX

After thanking the other kunoichi for the early birthday gift I come to Team Gai's training area and see Gai-sensei and Lee huddled close together and talking to each other. Normally they're jubilant and loud but right now they're serious and quiet, which unnerves me to no end. I can't hear from all the way over here and I can't read lips. God, I wish I had Sharingan eyes! Not only are they good for copying random jutsu, they're also good for spying.

I watch them for another five minutes and in that time Neji's appeared, standing by my side quietly and watching the two knuckleheads as well.

"What are they doing?" he asks.

"Talking about something." I reply. "They haven't noticed that we're here."

Neji leans against a tree and stares at the two Green Beasts of Konoha with a bored look. After ten more minutes he's too impatient to wait any longer. "I'm leaving." he says, turning on his heel. "Tell them I came."

I roll my eyes. "I'm not your servant."

He stops and then gives me a sidelong glance. "No," he replies, voice monotonous, "you'll be my wife."

I can't say I'm not shocked by this. It is _the_ first time he's acknowledged that we're engaged and that I'll be his wife. I actually don't know what the Hyuuga want in a bride and Hinata's told me that the Hyuuga are very old-fashioned, long line of tradition and what not. The whole time I'm thinking about this Neji leaves, as quietly as he came, and Lee and Gai come over and stand around me.

"Tenten?" Lee asks, looking worried.

"Huh? What?"

"Tenten, oh beautiful flower, you were lost in your thoughts!" Gai cries. "We've been trying to get your attention for the past few minutes!"

I frown. "Really? Oh, sorry."

"Tenten, Gai-sensei and I must go into Konoha to buy a youthful gift for you!" Lee says elatedly.

I can't help but smile. "You don't have to do that—"

"You only turn seventeen once!" Gai yells, waving off my protests. "It is a youthful age! Ah! Come, Lee!"

They race off into Konoha and I shake my head.

They're two of the weirdest people I know, but they're so sweet.

XXXXX

**Neji**

Going to our training area was a complete waste of my time. All Gai and Lee did was talk and whisper amongst themselves while Tenten and I watched. Oh, this morning I overheard Hinata talking with her friends about Tenten and about how her birthday is in six days. She never mentioned anything to me and I wonder if I should get her something. Is it customary? I must talk to Hiashi-sama about this.

Geez, I've never given anyone a birthday gift before.

Perhaps weapons since she's a weapons' specialist.

Or . . . Something else.

This is making me irritated.

I must go work off my frustration.

XXXXX

Three hours of beating the crap out of a wooden dummy works wonders for me. I actually feel looser and more relaxed now, all of the tension in me is gone.

"Neji, I need to talk to you."

Those seven words just brought it all back.

I turn to Hiashi and bow respectfully. "Yes, Hiashi-sama?"

He stares at me for a second and then asks, "Have you thought of a gift for Tenten's birthday?"

I lie—it's not a total lie—and say, "I wasn't aware."

Hiashi narrows his eyes at me and says, no, commands, "Buy your fiancé a gift. You have six days." When I nod in understanding he seems satisfied and leaves me to myself.

Dammit.

Dammit.

Dammit.

XXXXX

**Tenten**

I'm testing out my new kunai on a sheet of paper, slicing my name into it with sharp, even strokes. Damn, I love these things! The handles are black and red and there are kanji etched in gold and silver down the sides.

Earlier today I received Anonymous' reply to my last letter and he was as cryptic as usual.

_Tenten,_

_I swear on my life that I am not trying to get the goods on Konoha. What would be the point of getting information on my own village? And if I was a missing-nin I wouldn't be in Konoha in the first place. Please think about your questions before you write them._

_I'm glad you won't stop writing to me. I enjoy reading your somewhat intelligent responses . . . I can imagine the look of anger on your face right now and it's well worth it. _

_Tell me about yourself. I'd love to get to know you._

_-Anonymous_

Once again, he didn't tell me his name.

I sigh in disappointment.

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_Anonymous,_

_What are you talking about? My questions are all valid! And you're right, I did get angry when I read that particular part of your letter. Do you do this on purpose? Are you trying to provoke me or something? If you are, it's working. I was testing out my new kunai set and I was thinking about slashing your letter to bits. _

_You want to know about me? _

_Ok, fine, but you have to tell me about yourself in your response._

_I am currently a Chuunin and I live in Konoha. I am on Team Gai with Maito Gai, Rock Lee and my fiancé Hyuuga Neji who I somewhat like and usually argue with. I am sixteen but I'll be seventeen soon and my blood type is B. Um, there's not much else really. I live by myself and I like astrology. Oh, and sweet things._

_Your turn._

_-Tenten_

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A/N: Tenten and Anonymous are getting to know each other better and Neji must get Tenten a birthday gift! Please review? Reviews are my crack!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Ugh, I hate this chapter. It gave me so much trouble. In certain spots I forgot that this was first person and I suddenly switched to third person and then I went back to correct it all and . . . Ugh. So sorry if I missed some spots. Enjoy!

Oh my god! Only 4 chapters and 100+ reviews! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love you all!

Who has heard Teenagers by My Chemical Romance? I love that song and it's so . . . True. Sometimes.

Disclaimer: I don't own!

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Chapter 5

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**Neji**

I frowned, stared, then frowned again while my friends deliberated amongst themselves on what would be the best birthday gift for Tenten. I know I shouldn't have asked them for their help, the warnings signs in my mind were flashing erratically, but I needed someone's damn honest opinion. Now I realize I should've asked Hinata or Sakura or, god help me, Ino.

"Weapons." Sasuke said flatly.

I snorted. "And have them thrown back at me when she uses them to spar?"

"You have your Byakugan. You'll avoid them."

"No."

Naruto bits his lip. "How about . . . A dress? Girls love clothes!"

"No." I say stonily. Imagine a Hyuuga male going into a female clothing store and purchasing a dress. It would be scandalous. Not to mention my cold and distant prodigy reputation would be slightly tarnished because I'd bought something so absurd. God. People might think that I bought a dress for myself!

Shikamaru, and Shino, seemed to share my opinion because Shino adjusted his sunglasses and Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"Naruto," Kiba drawled, "we're thinking of a _good_ gift."

"That would be a good gift!" Naruto snapped.

"Get her flowers." All of us turn to Chouji who's munching on potato chips and shrugging when Kiba asks him when he got there. He swallows and gives me a sympathetic look. "It must be hard to get Tenten a birthday gift but girls _love_ flowers. And chocolate. Get Tenten some flowers and I bet she'll be happy with that."

It was _the_ most sensible suggestion I'd been given all morning.

XXXXX

The hairs on the back of my neck stand up as Yamanaka Ino stares at my back, boring holes into my skin. I can actually feel the heat of her eyes and I know she's analyzing everything I'm doing and wondering why I'm in her parent's shop. I had forgotten that she worked here and if she finds out that I'm getting flowers for Tenten then Tenten herself will find out and—god. Why does she have so many friends?

"You're getting flowers?" Ino asked.

I frown. "What else would I be doing in your shop?"

The blonde kunoichi frowns for a moment and then a light bulb seems to turn on in her head. "You're getting flowers for _Tenten_." she says slyly, looking so happy with herself, as if she'd solved the biggest puzzler of all time. Ino comes out from behind the counter and discards her work apron. "I _knew_ you'd be in here sometime this week. I knew it!" she cries elatedly, going to the door and turning the sign so that it temporarily says 'closed'. "So, what do you need help with?"

"Excuse me?"

"You have to get a gift for Tenten, right?"

"Yes." I answer warily, not liking the gleam in her eye.

"Have you decided on a gift?" she asks, smirking.

"Flowers."

Ino stumbles back and looks like she's about to have a heart attack. I stare at her passively but inside I'm wondering at her alarmed expression. What's wrong with flowers?

"You can't give Tenten flowers!" she hisses.

"Why not?"

Ino smoothes her purple shirt and glares at me. "She's your _fiancé!_ Not your _girlfriend_. You need to get her something special!"

I didn't get it. "Aren't flowers special?"

"Yeah," she scoffed. "For dinner or an anniversary! But this is her birthday! You have to get her something she'll remember—"

"Ino!" Sakura entered the flower shop with Hinata and swiftly closed the door behind them. "You said you were going to tell us when Neji came to see you!"

"Hinata-sama." I say.

She nods. "Neji-niisan."

"So," Sakura began, hooking her pink hair behind her ear, "what were you going to get Tenten?"

I opened his mouth to answer but Ino beat me to the punch.

"Flowers." she said in a disparaging voice, dramatically burying her face into her hands.

Hinata actually winced and Sakura shook her head at me, putting a hand on my shoulder. When I leveled her with my glare she swiftly returned her hand to her side.

"Are flowers not appropriate, Hinata-sama?"

She fiddled with a strand of long blue-black hair and sighed. "I-It's not what you _s-should_ g-get," she replied shyly, voice so quiet that I can barely hear her. "B-But it's t-the t-thought t-that counts?"

Ino scoffed. "Don't lie, Hinata. Neji," she said in a commanding tone, turning her ice blue eyes onto me, "you're getting Tenten jewelry!"

Sakura laughed awkwardly. "Are you sure, Ino? I mean, Neji doesn't seem the type to get Tenten something so . . . Nice?"

I was partially insulted.

"So what if she knows that Neji came to us for help?" Ino snapped. "The fact that he _did_ shows that he knows better than to go about this himself."

"No." I say stonily.

"What's the matter, Hyuuga? We _know_ you have enough money to buy Tenten jewelry."

"She doesn't wear it." I reply sardonically. Hinata seems impressed that I know this and Sakura is giving me an odd look. "What?"

"You'd have to be studying Tenten _really_ closely to notice something like _that_." she says, a smile forming on her lips. "Do you like staring at our fair Tenten?"

I don't dictate her asinine comment with a response.

XXXXX

I ended up shopping for jewelry with them.

I never realized how, in the words of a fellow prodigy, _troublesome_ women are. We must've been to six different shops and still nothing satisfied them. One minute Ino, Sakura and Hinata would be gushing over one item and then they'd turn around and find another that they like more. God, I can't stand it! They'd say that _this_ particular thing would be it, but then change their minds and move on to a different store.

_Why_ are women so indecisive?

"N-Neji-niisan," Hinata says tentatively, "I think we've found it."

Finally.

Ino is staring at the item being held out for them as Sakura chats up the shop owner, smiling flirtatiously and coy winking at him. I wonder if the Uchiha knows about this. He'd probably chop the guy's head off or something if he found out.

The blonde kunoichi sees me coming over and smiles brightly. "What do you think?" she asks, indicating the object the shop keeper is holding out for my viewing pleasure.

It was a gold necklace with a good sized white pearl hanging in the center. It was simple and elegant and I found myself taking a liking to it immediately.

"We were thinking platinum at first, but it'd look a bad with Tenten's tone so we went with gold and we were thinking of a black or pink pearl at first, but white is classic." Ino said. "What do you think?"

I stared at the girls, at the necklace, then at the shop owner. Hinata, Sakura and Ino are positively beaming when I say, "Wrap it."

XXXXX

Tomorrow is Tenten's birthday.

I ran my fingers over the thin gold chain of the necklace in my bed room. For some reason it reminds me of Tenten; simple and elegant. She might be crude and rough but she's also nice, sometimes, and, I must admit, she's pretty. I like her brown eyes and her hair style is interesting. I wonder what her hair looks like down . . .

"Neji."

I hastily put the lid on the long box and turn around. "Hiashi-sama."

"You bought Tenten a necklace?" he asks, giving me an impressed look.

Everyone seems to be impressed with me today. Just because I act cold and distant doesn't mean I don't know a thing or two about other people . . . And . . . Things.

"Yes, Hiashi-sama."

"Tomorrow you have to inform Tenten that she will be moving into our house." Hiashi says. "Tell her that there is a room already prepared and that you will be showing her around for a while until she feels comfortable here. Understood?"

"Yes, Hiashi-sama." I answer obediently.

Oh yeah. Tenten's going to be _really_ happy when she hears this.

Dammit.

Dammit.

Dammit.

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**Tenten**

There's a knock on the door while I'm in the kitchen making some jasmine tea. Odd, I wasn't expecting visitors today. I look down at my sleeping attire, large shirt, short shorts, and I think I look presentable, I mean, it's still pretty early. I have three extra hours since Gai-sensei told me to relax a little before coming to meet Team Gai in our training area.

I open the door, expecting to see someone there, and am greeted with no one.

There's no one in front of the door.

I peek outside and look down the hall.

Nope.

No one.

But there is a package at my feet.

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**Neji**

I'm at Tenten's building and I'm trying to convince myself to go up there, give her the damn birthday gift and tell her that she has to move into the Hyuuga house.

Right.

She's going to totally love that.

I hope she doesn't start throwing things at my head.

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**Tenten**

I sit at my kitchen table staring at the package.

I've already looked at it but the sender's name isn't present and I've poked and prodded at it with some needles. Being the cautious person I am, I also tested it to see if it was rigged. So far, it's proven to be just an ordinary package. God, I am so paranoid. Being a kunoichi has screwed with me so much. It's a package, package most likely equals gift. It's my birthday, it's probably a present from one of my friends.

I sigh.

Get this over with, get this over with!

I slice the brown paper wrapping with a kunai and then shield my face. When I don't hear anything I lower my arms with a sigh of relief. Ok, there really weren't any exploding tags.

The box underneath the paper is medium-sized and a creamy yellow color which is really pretty. I hesitantly lift the top off of it and peer inside. There's tons of white paper and I start taking it out until my fingers scrape something hard inside. Piqued, I lift the thing out and it turns out to be a pair of binoculars. They're black and sleek and cold in my hand. There's a note attached to them, hanging from a line of brown string and I turn it towards me.

_To help you see the stars better at night._

Instantly, I know this is from Anonymous.

How did the guy find out about my birthday?

It's kind of unsettling how much he knows about me while I know next to nothing about him.

I look through them for a moment and everything is closer and sharper.

The focus is amazing.

A familiar sound enters my kitchen and I turn my head just in time to see a white bird land on my shoulder, a note attached to its leg.

Holy crap.

This is his response letter.

He's supposed to tell me about himself.

Yes!

I'm already taking the note off the bird's leg and I'm about to open it up but my door bell rings.

Damn.

I set the letter down my the opened gift, walk to my door and open it.

He's standing there wearing his signature Hyuuga robes, looking spiffy as usual, and holding a bouquet of red roses (Does he even know what those mean?) and something long and thin wrapped in shiny red paper. He gives me a bored look but he's sort of fidgeting while he's waiting for me to let him in. God, I've never seen Hyuuga Neji look so uncomfortable before and he's giving me a surprised look mixed with, dare I say it, humor?

"What are you doing here?" I ask, shocked beyond measure.

Neji stares at me. "It's your birthday today."

I hastily look back into my apartment, and then return my gaze to him. "Do you want to come in?"

He doesn't reply and steps into my apartment.

I'll take that as a yes then.

Neji makes his way to my living room and I close the door. I sigh. I definitely wasn't expecting _this._ I mean, he doesn't seem the type to visit just for the sake of giving a gift and flowers. I never took him for the type, I mean, this is really sweet.

"You look awful." he says.

I scowl. "What the heck are you talking about?"

Neji draws invisible circles around his eyes. "You've got dark circles around your eyes, Tenten."

I rush into my kitchen and pull out a metal spoon from a drawer and stare at my reflection in shock, a strangled shriek coming from my throat. Oh my god. I've got two giant circles around my eyes and they make me look like a panda! I turn around and glare daggers at the binoculars and the note from Anonymous on the table. This was all _his_ doing! Dammit! How could I have been so stupid? I rub at the black on my face and thankfully it comes off easily. I rub my fingertips together.

The black stuff is just ink.

"Did you get it off?"

I lift my gaze to Neji. He's leaning against the door way that leads into the kitchen, looking cool and composed as ever. I nod. "Thanks." I say, actually meaning it.

He nods. "Come open this gift."

Neji hands me the wrapped box and I gingerly take off the red paper; it's just so pretty, I'm afraid to ruin it. When I take the lid off my breath stills in my lungs. "Oh, Neji." I breathe. I know Hinata, Sakura and Ino had to help him get this, he's not the type to think of this on his own, but, god, it's gorgeous. I lift the necklace out of the box and study it in the light. The gold chain glimmers and the pearl glows.

I'm speechless.

"You like it then." Neji says. "I know you don't normally wear jewelry, but you can wear it for formal gatherings."

"It's beautiful, Neji. Thank you." I've never gotten anything so . . . _Nice_ as a birthday present. It's always been something practical, like kunai and shuriken, but never something as delicate as a necklace. I guess I've never shown a preference for jewelry, but I _do_ like it and I'm glad Neji got it for me. I give him a brilliant smile but he looks slightly . . . Uncomfortable. "Neji?"

"Hiashi-sama wants you to move into the Hyuuga house." he says suddenly.

I give a shriek of indignation.

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**Neji**

I knew she'd react like this, I _knew_ that, but I had hoped she wouldn't scream or shriek.

My ears hurt.

"I am _not_ moving into the Hyuuga house!" she says vehemently. "I like my apartment!"

I roll my eyes. "You don't really have a choice. Hiashi-sama asks that you move in." Which really means that she has no choice and that he'll get forceful if she refuses.

Tenten shakes her head. "Tell him that I'm fine in my apartment."

"Honesty," I say in annoyance, "it would be easier for us both if you just consent. I'll only be back here after telling Hiashi-sama that you refuse."

"Look," she takes a deep breath and then stares me straight into the eye, "I like my independence and I'm going to give some of it up when I marry you. Tell him that I'll move into the Hyuuga house a _month_ before we get married, ok?"

"He's not going to like this." I warn.

Tenten fingers the pearl on the necklace. "I know, but I want to keep staying in my apartment . . ."

My eyes lock onto the bird on her shoulder and they narrow. "Is this your pet?" I ask. "You don't strike me as the type to keep birds."

"No. It just brings me—" Tenten seems to catch herself before saying something and then shuts her mouth for a moment. "It's just a random bird I feed sometimes. Its grown attached to me over these past few weeks."

"I see." I murmur quietly. I look at her table which is littered with ripped brown paper, a pair of binoculars and a folded sheet of white paper. My interest is piqued but I don't question her about it. "I should be going," I say, making my way to her door. "And Hiashi-sama requests your presence later tonight. He's holding a dinner at the Hyuuga house for your birthday." I open the door and step half-way out of her apartment before adding, "Wear that necklace."

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**Tenten**

My god, what would Neji think about me sending letters to a random stranger?

He'd probably think I'd lost my mind.

XXXXX

_Tenten,_

_It's quite entertaining to provoke you. I'm sure you found the binoculars particularly amusing. Did you like the dark circles around your eyes? Be more careful in the future._

_You want to know about me?_

_I suppose I can divulge some information._

_I am male, a shinobi and, as you saw in Konoha, I have dark hair. My parents are dead and we're pretty much the same age, give or take a year._

_I've heard of Hyuuga Neji and I've heard that he is moody and anti-social to the highest degree. What do you think of him?_

_-Anonymous_

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A/N: Please review? Reviews are my happy crack!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: An update! Sorry for grammer and spelling mistakes, enjoy!

Wow, Sasuke and Sai seem to be the top candidates for Anonymous but Shikamaru was also thrown in there. Keep guessing guys. And yes, I have read Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz and that's where I got the title for my fic.

EDIT: xXItachisXAzulaXx, being the amazing person she (he?) is pointed out that I messed up with the whole 'Hiashi-criteria-Hinata' crap this chapter (somewhere down there) and I have gone back and sort of fixed it. I gotta fix some stuff in previous chapters as well because I never did it when I told myself I would.

Disclaimer: I don't own.

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Chapter 6

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**Neji**

I lean against the solid gate leading into the Hyuuga compound, light from inside the Main house illuminating some of the ground, waiting for Tenten. Could the girl be any slower? Honestly. I told her that Hiashi—damn him—was holding a dinner for her tonight and she has the audacity to be—holy crap.

She's there.

Dressed in a red and white kimono.

Looking _good_.

Damn good.

The kimono is white and there are red leaves trailing from her left shoulder all the way down to the end of the kimono. Around her middle is a dark blue obi and it hugs her slim waist. Her hair is up, as usual, tied with long red ribbons and I can see the pearl necklace around her neck in the light.

She smiles and my pulse races.

"Like what you see?" she asks coyly.

I snap out of my stupor and my eyes narrow. "Hn." I hold out my arm and she takes it, rolling her eyes. "You'll be meeting Hiashi and the other elders. Be on your best behavior."

Tenten gives me a smirk and forcefully yanks me forward so I almost fall over. "I always am." she replies sweetly with a smile.

XXXXX

Dinner wasn't so bad actually.

Tenten and I were civil to each other and she even gave me a kiss on the cheek because Hiashi was giving us an overly critical stare. I brushed hair from her face, she smiled at me, these little things are so easy to add to the play. God, I couldn't _wait_ for it to be over. They asked Tenten a lot of questions—how she spent her time, did she like her new team, was she excited about the marriage—and she answered accordingly. I was relieved.

And then came this one.

"Tenten, when will start to move your things?"

Tenten stared at Hiashi like he grew a third head. "What?"

"Did Neji tell you that you'd be moving here?" Hiashi asked, giving me a look.

Right now _everybody_ was looking at me.

"Yes, he did," she replies carefully, "but didn't he tell you that I said no?"

"No, he didn't." Hiashi says.

Ah yes, I forgot about that. Tenten glares at me and underneath the table she clasps my hand in a vice grip, squeezing harder with each passing second. I control myself so that I don't wince from the pain.

"Forgive me, Hiashi-sama," I say before turning to Tenten, "but I need to talk to Tenten outside."

XXXXX

"You didn't _tell_ him I said 'no'!?" she asks incredulously, glaring. "Neji!"

"The outcome will be the same. You'll still be living in this house."

Tenten grabs the front of my clothes and she's suddenly incredibly close. "I am not going to be moving in here until the day we're married and that's not for four months! Go back in there and tell him I said no!" she hisses heatedly, eyes blazing into my own.

I don't know why, but she's very pretty when she's angry.

"If you move in," I reply slowly, "then I won't have to use force." Technically it'd be Hiashi who'd be using force to bring her here. I could care less if she lived here or a thousand miles away. "Hiashi-sama will go to the Hokage if he has to."

"You Hyuugas," she hissed, "using your damn connections to get anything you want."

I let a sigh escape my lips. It's true. The Hyuuga do use their connections from time to time, you develop a lot being such a long-lived clan, and we do get a lot of privileges. We are somewhat treated like royalty; the Uchiha in their glory days were treated this way as well. I still don't like the fact that Sasuke and I are distantly, _very_ distantly, related cousins.

"Move in and there will be no problems."

Tenten tightens her grip on my collar and then, suddenly, her anger is gone. She visibly deflates and lets my clothes go while stepping away. "I'm sorry. I'm just really frustrated right now and this whole 'moving into the Hyuuga house' thing came at a bad time." she mutters.

It's the first time I've seen her so . . . I don't know how to describe it, she just seems really womanly at the moment with the kimono and stuff. She looks really miserable, perhaps it was being here with all the Hyuuga, they're not exactly a nice bunch, and my fingers itch to touch her cheek.

God damn hormones.

"Let's go back." I say, taking her hand and squeezing it in what I hope was a comforting manner.

Tenten nods absently, murmuring a quick 'yeah' while staring at my hand in awe.

I wanted to snort out loud.

I may be cold and shun physical contact but it's not like I don't know how to hold someone's hand.

XXXXX

**Tenten**

Ever since I got Anonymous' reply I've been racking my brain for a likely candidate but everything I go over leads me to the same person.

Sasuke.

Uchiha Sasuke.

_The_ Uchiha Sasuke.

Male.

Dark hair and dark eyes.

Parents deceased (His brother made sure of that didn't he?)

Pretty much the same age, even if I'm seventeen and he's still fifteen now but he's turning sixteen this year.

_How can this be!?_

We barely even talk! He hardly ever looks at me! But he did pay for my ramen that one night when I forgot my wallet at home . . . Maybe that was just him being nice. The guy _does_ have a lot of money since he's the last Uchiha . . .

ARGH.

Why has this suddenly gotten so complicated!? It _can't_ be Uchiha Sasuke. _Sakura_ loves the guy to pieces and he's got a million fan girls who'd murder me in my sleep if they even got an _inkling_ that there was something going on between us!

But what if it _was_ Sasuke?

The guy certainly is hot, you should see him when his shirt gets all ripped up and shows off his gorgeous muscles when he and Naruto spar, and he's a _genius_ . . . Like Neji.

Oh god, why is that stupid Hyuuga suddenly popping up in my head like this?

Ok, back to Sasuke.

He's . . . Nice—sometimes—God, _why_ are geniuses so anti-social? Sasuke, Neji, Shikamaru, Shino . . . And I guess Gaara fits into the genius category too. They all can't talk to another human being to save their lives. They brood and they're moody and they look absolutely agonized when they have to answer a question they deem completely obvious. I don't know why the girls in Konoha join Uchiha Sasuke and/or Hyuuga Neji fan clubs. I mean, sure, they're gorgeous, but I'd rather have an ok looking guy who treats me like gold and worships the ground I walk on rather than an incredibly hot guy who treats me like crap.

Oh Lee, you _do_ have some redeeming points! Don't give up on Sakura!

His devotion is adorable.

The alarm clock beside my bed starts beeping loudly and I groan.

Another night gone by without sleep.

Thanks Anonymous.

XXXXX

The bird is back again, bearing another letter.

Huh, you'd think a guy would take a hint.

My reply to his gift and stupid letter was an exploding note.

I hope it blew his smug little face off.

I sigh and take the letter of the bird's leg, opening it to read.

_Reply._

XXXXX

Neji came to the training grounds with a weird mark on his right cheek and an impressive scowl on his face. His look was icy when it met mine and he quickly turned away. I studied it for a while. The mark looked like a burn and suddenly I got this wild idea that _Neji_ was Anonymous. Ha, ha, ha! Imagine that! No. I don't think he'd do that. Besides, we can never really talk, on paper or in person.

The look on his face tells me that I shouldn't ask how he got it, but I can't help it.

"What happened to your face?"

Neji gives me a slashing look and I actually flinch. He sees this and turns his glare down a notch. "The Uchiha burned me." he supplies grudgingly before turning away, ending the miniscule conversation I had begun.

And indeed, when I saw Uchiha Sasuke, he had a weirdly satisfied smirk plastered on his face.

XXXXX

Neji.

Hyuuga Neji.

Damn that guy was a mystery.

I can't believe he held my hand, actually gave it a comforting squeeze before we went back inside to face the in-laws from hell. I can't recall meeting his parents. I know Hiashi is his uncle and clan head, but shouldn't I be meeting his parents? I mean, they're the ones who will be my true in-laws. Neji doesn't seem the least bit bothered by the fact that he hasn't met my parents. I wonder if he knows I'm an orphan . . . I'm definitely too chicken to ask if he does.

Speak of the devil.

I see Neji coming to the training grounds right now.

I should ask him.

Yes.

I get a look at his stoic face.

Crap.

"Um, Neji?"

"Hn."

Oh crap, I'm losing my nerve. "Am I ever going to meet your parents?"

I swear, the air took on an icy chill when I asked that. I wanted to crawl under a rock and die when I saw the dark expression on his face.

"They're dead." he replies simply, turning his eyes onto me. "Anything else you'd like to know?"

"I'm sorry." I say quietly. How am I supposed to respond to that?

Neji doesn't seem very bothered. "You would've found out eventually."

His voice is hard and I know he doesn't want to talk about this anymore. I don't blame him.

"But still, I'm sorry."

"I don't need your pity." he says icily, eyes narrowed at some invisible thing across the training grounds.

My anger rises up, burning in my blood. "I wasn't offering any!" I snap.

"Hn."

We stand in complete silence for a while. He's cool as ever and I'm fuming silently, wanting to beat his brains in.

Neji looks at me once and says, "That's better."

I stare at him in surprise. "What?"

"You looked like you were about to cry."

XXXXX

I sat down, leaning against a tree to eat the dango I had bought earlier.

I chew thoughtfully while thinking about Neji.

The guy must have a split personality or something because one minute he's so nice and then the next he's a total ice cube. And how could he be so calm talking about how his parents are dead? Did I really look like I was about to cry? I couldn't feel any tears threatening to spill over. Maybe my eyes looked a little watery? I don't know.

What am I supposed to think of all this?

I'm surprised Neji didn't ask about my parents. Actually, he probably knows that I'm an orphan because the Hyuuga are bound to do background checks and stuff.

At the dinner I asked Hiashi, in secret of course, why he wanted me for Neji's bride. He said that I was the only candidate he found who matched all his criteria. Hiashi said he'd considered some other kunoichi but found all of them lacking and unavailable. I couldn't believe it. He even told me the reasons why he rejected the others.

Ino: Her bloodline limit wasn't one that could easily be used with the Byakugan.

Sakura: She's engaged to Uchiha Sasuke.

Temari: From another village.

He mentioned Hinata as well and I know that some clans marry inside to preserve their bloodline limits but it made me shiver. Sweet, shy, innocent Hinata with emotionless Neji? No way.

I didn't know Sakura and Sasuke are engaged. Hiashi told me that it's been a secret for quite a while but now that they were getting older things were changing and most of the higher-ups in Konoha know about it. Originally he says, the Hyuuga and the Uchiha were going to intermarry, but with the Uchiha Massacre and there being only Sasuke left there really wasn't much talk about it anymore.

God I wish that there was still talk, then Sasuke could marry Neji instead of me.

They'd probably be just peachy since they're so alike.

XXXXX

I'm giving in and writing back to Anonymous.

XXXXX

_Anonymous,_

_You absolute ass hole. That thing with the binoculars? Definitely made me pissed, damn pissed. You ever pull crap like that again and I'll cut off all correspondence with you. _

_I mean it._

_I can't believe you parents are dead. I'm so sorry. Were they killed on a mission? If you don't want to talk about it then it's fine. If you can go that . . . In depth about yourself then I will too. _

_I'm an orphan and, apparently, my parents left me in front of the gates of Konoha. I don't know if they were originally residents of Konoha. Probably not. I think they were regular people, not ninja, who were from a poor struggling village and they left me in Konoha because they couldn't or didn't want to take care of me. Sandaime Hokage named me after some ANBU found me at the gate. He asked me after I entered the Academy if I wanted a last name and that he'd give me _his_ and make me part of his family, but he'd already done so much for me so I said no._

_I guess I'm going to get Neji's last name when I marry him. Not having one myself makes it easier. Hyuuga Tenten . . . It looks so weird when I write it down, sounds even weirder when I say it out loud._

_I'm sorry. I'm probably boring you with this._

_-Tenten_

XXXXX

**Neji**

I know what's coming and from the look on her face it's going to leave me without hearing for the next few days.

Tenten is breathing hard against her door frame, brown eyes slowly moving around her bare apartment. First the living room, then the kitchen, and then her gaze finally lands on me, standing in the center of her immaculate apartment.

"Where is all my stuff?" she hisses, voice low and laced with dangerous intent.

"Hyuuga house." I say simply as her eyes widen.

Next thing I know she's screaming like a wild woman and she's launched herself towards me, catching me by surprise so that we both fall to the floor with the force of her charge. Tenten locks her legs at my sides and she holds my wrists in her monster grip while glaring at me. If looks could kill I most definitely would've been dead ten times over.

"What the hell, Neji!?" she shrieks. "I told you I didn't want to move!"

I let off some chakra, catching _her_ by surprise and flipping her over so she's under me this time. I'm grasping both of her wrists in one hand and I prevent her legs from moving with my own.

"And I told you that Hiashi would _make_ you move if he had to." Tenten growls and tries forcing me off her but it doesn't work. "Don't make this any harder than it is. Just come to the house and settle down quietly. Your new room has already been prepared and it's much better than this place."

She glares at me. "It's not the quality, it's the principle. Having and maintaining my own apartment was like a sign of independence for me and the way this is going, it's like I'm being stripped of it."

"It's a room, not your will."

Tenten turns her head to the side, determined not to look at me.

It makes me want to growl in annoyance.

I am very aware of how close our bodies are and the positions we're in, even if she is not. Tenten's not showing any signs of caring and, I don't know why, but it irritates me for some reason. I let her wrists go and she immediately reacts and pushes me off of her.

I roll my eyes, standing up and making my way out into the hall. "We have to go to the house."

She gets up, brushes herself off and grudgingly begins to follow me out the door.

XXXXX

A/N: Review? Please? Reviews are my happy crack!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: My god, how long has it been? Too long. I've been on vacation and stuff so I haven't been updating but I'm back now and with a longer chapter for you guys because you've put up with the extremely long wait. Enjoy!

Sorry about the mistakes and everything . . .

Who has read HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS? I have!

mdlc: I haven't read the sequel yet but I plan to . . . Someday . . . Soon hopefully.

Disclaimer: I don't own.

XXXXX

Chapter 7

XXXXX

**Neji**

Training has become a nightmare.

Tenten attacks me with more fervor than before and it's obvious that she's taking out her frustrations on me. She went to Hiashi immediately after arriving at Hyuuga house and was told that he was not in at the moment. She can't get out of here without talking to Hiashi and the Hokage didn't help her when she went and talked to her. I realize that living in the Hyuuga house is a bit . . . Of a change for her, but could she at least make herself a little easier to deal with? It's not like _I_ want her there; it's all Hiashi's damn idea. I have to show her around, fun, I know, and Tenten insists on lagging everywhere, showing me her displeasure. When we're in the presence of Hiashi, he comes and goes quickly so Tenten still hasn't gotten a chance to speak with him privately, we put on the face of a happy couple about to married, as happy as we can, but it's getting a little wearing.

I go into my Kaiten as she begins another barrage of pointy metal weapons.

And then she does it . . . Again.

She throws a giant bomb.

It detonates on contact with my Hakkeshou Kaiten and I falter a little. Tenten takes advantage immediately, sending no less than eight senbon at me. I quickly whip my sleeve in front of my face. Five needles puncture the white material and I notice that they had been aimed at my eyes while three other needles catch my left arm. To my intense surprise, and anger, it goes numb. I stop spinning and glare at her while clutching my useless arm to my side.

"What the _hell_ did you do?" I demand.

Tenten drops her large scroll and rushes to my side. "I've been studying with Sakura on the layout of the human body." she replies quickly while gently removing the needles from my arm. They slide easily out of my arm since they're so sharp and she begins examining my skin. "Numbness should go away in about an hour," she says, running her hands up and down my arm. I eye her ministrations dubiously. Tenten rolls her eyes. "Feeling will come back faster if I do this."

"Hn."

"So what's the score now?" she asks brightly.

I notice the hopefulness in her face and my eyes narrow. "I'm still winning. 9 to 5."

Tenten smiles nonetheless, completely happy to be trailing me by four. "You're winning for _now_, Hyuuga Neji."

XXXXX

Sometimes Tenten surprises me.

Sometimes she's bitter and angry, mostly at our predicament and sometimes at me, and then she's completely nice and caring. I had thought that she was bipolar or something at first but she wasn't ever depressed so I had then began thinking that she was in a permanent state of female PMS. My opinions have changed, I've found out that this seemingly permanent PMS is just a girl thing, and being with Tenten has actually become somewhat enjoyable. We argue, usually over the most insignificant things, but we get along.

"Neji!"

I turn my head to the sound of my name and Tenten is setting down two cups of tea, green for me and jasmine for her, and a plate of dango. She hums while blowing on her tea.

"Something's wrong."

She looks at me with a confused expression. "What do you mean?"

My eyes search hers. "You're never like this."

"Like what?"

"So happy." I say bluntly.

Tenten laughed and waved my words off.

It was damn unnatural.

I take a sip of my tea and bring the cup from my lips; it doesn't taste right. I look at Tenten and she's not laughing now, instead she's got a frown on her face while looking into her cup.

"Is that mine?" she asks, peering over the rim of my cup to inspect my drink.

I hand it to her and take mine.

Tenten sips some jasmine tea and I notice a small smile on her lips.

XXXXX

**Tenten**

Wow.

After training and going to get tea and dango I feel great.

I take a bit of my dango and chew while watching some of the villagers pass by, leaning on my right palm. God, Konoha has _the_ best dango in the country, probably the whole world. Out of the corner of my eye notice that Neji's not eating and I push the plate towards him, nudging his hand in the process. He looks at me questioningly.

"Eat some."

Neji looks at me, then down at the dango. "I don't like sweets, Tenten."

"Oh." I say, staring at him. "Then why didn't you tell me sooner? We could've gotten something else."

"You enjoy sweet things." he replies nonchalantly.

"Oh," I reply dumbly, surprised at his thoughtfulness, "well, next time let's go somewhere you like then, ok?"

He nods and sips some of his tea. I notice the way his lips kind of caress the cup rim before he actually drinks and I find myself blushing like some fan girl. God, I am pathetic. When we exchanged cups and I first sipped some tea, I couldn't help but smile because drinking from the same cup as he did would kind of be like an indirect kiss.

ARGH.

I am such a loser!

"Tenten."

I'm startled and jump slightly, some of the hot liquid sloshes dangerously close to the rim, and I turn to Neji. "Um, yes?"

He simply stares at me for a few seconds and then he drops the bomb.

"Hiashi wants to see us tonight. He says to meet at Ryuu."

"The _restaurant!?_" I ask incredulously. "That place is only for visiting royalty and the daimyo!"

"Tonight." he responds firmly. "Meet me there."

I can feel my mouth open and I'm groping for something to say.

Neji rises and gives me a hard look. "Don't be late."

XXXXX

"You're going to _Ryuu!?_" Sakura exclaims, eyes wide and voice loud enough to carry over every other conversation within a five foot radius.

"You don't have to scream it." I say, frowning. "So are you going to help me or not?"

"_Of course!_ Did you think I wouldn't?"

I shrug. "I thought you might not have time since you're so busy being a medic."

"Tenten," Sakura says, grabbing my shoulder and staring into my eyes with the most serious expression I've seen on her, "I _always_ have time for one of my best friends." I smile while she takes off her lab coat and tells an understudy that she'll be gone for a few hours. "I'm actually kind of curious why you asked me, Tenten. Do you value my fashion sense that much?" she asks teasingly.

"Ino and Hinata are both on missions." I reply, watching the way her face goes from smug to indignant.

"So _I_ was a last resort!?" she shrieked.

I laugh and jump out of her window.

XXXXX

"So what do you want to wear tonight?" Sakura asks, examining a light, see-through kimono, moving her fingers underneath the fabric and checking the price tag. "A kimono . . . A shirt and skirt or pants? Do you want something see-through?"

"You know," I drawled, eyeing the store, "I don't think we need to start by choosing lingerie." I gaze at the lacy thongs and multiple ribbon corsets. "Neji's not going to see my panties."

Sakura shrugged. "You never know. Maybe you two will really hit it off tonight—"

"Don't even joke about that."

"Ok, ok, I'm just saying."

We walk out of the store, I think I see a flash of light colored hair and I bet it's Jiraiya, what a pervert, and we head across the street to another store, this one with actual clothing.

Sakura immediately spots some dresses and I'm promptly dragged over. We scour the racks and I wait for her to ask it.

"Why don't you like Neji?" she asks, holding up a aquamarine colored dress to me before shaking her head and putting it back. "You guys seem to be getting along better."

"That's only for show; we actually despise each other."

"You guys went out for tea and dango earlier today, Tenten."

I glare at her. "Have you been spying on me?"

"Just tell the truth," Sakura says, putting a hand on her hip and smirking, "you like him."

I notice she didn't answer my question and I roll my eyes. "I don't _like_ him, Sakura."

"So tell me why you _don't_ like him."

"He's . . . Haughty! Totally full of himself!" I say, putting another unsatisfactory dress back. "He's also a killjoy. Have you, honestly, ever heard the guy crack a joke?"

Sakura looks thoughtful for a moment before shaking her head and smiling. "No, I haven't but I think those things kind of pale in comparison to his good attributes."

I snort. "Name them."

"He's smart and an awesome ninja, graduated first in his class from the Academy and is the _only_ one of the Konoha 12 so far to make it to Jounin. Sasuke-kun is close though."

I frown.

"He's trustworthy and loyal and caring, makes the safety of others his first priority on missions."

"Are we talking about the same guy here?"

"Neji," Sakura snaps, obviously disliking my interruptions, "also never fails to complete a mission, _that's_ how awesome a ninja he is."

"It's not like _other_ ninja don't always complete their missions either! What about S—"

"We are talking about _Neji_ at the moment, _not_ Sasuke."

"Ok, fine. Keep going with your list."

"He's sweet too. Didn't he buy you that necklace for your birthday?"

"It's only because Hiashi _ordered_ him to." I reply flatly. I found out from Neji himself when I asked him how he knew about my birthday. He told me straight out not to think of the gift as something with any meaning, just that he had to get me something at Hiashi's request. Well . . . It's still a nice necklace and even if he didn't get it for me out of the goodness of his heart at least he got me something fashionable, albeit, with the help of my friends. "Got anything else, Sakura?" I ask smugly, crossing my arms across my chest.

"He's hot."

My smile drops a little.

"And you along with every other girl in Konoha thinks he's hot too." she says seriously, eyes piercing mine with a green eyed glare. "Don't you _dare_ deny it. You and I both know it's true." I roll my eyes and try to come up with a good response. "What now, Tenten?" Sakura asks coyly.

Ha! I've got one for you!

"That doesn't mean _anything_. You know liking a guy and thinking he's hot are two totally different things. You can't base a relationship on thinking a guy is hot. It's got to be more than physical." I reply, picking a dress off the rack and holding it up to myself while Sakura looked it over.

"Ok, ok, you're right," she says, shaking her head at my choice, "but why do you have to act like such a bitch around him? Neji's in the same boat as you."

"If I act like a bitch then maybe Hiashi will see that we _aren't_ compatible and then we won't have to marry."

Sakura scoffs. "If you act like a sunny girl-in-love with Neji _in front of_ Hiashi then it kind of defeats the purpose."

"He talked to Tsunade-sama! She said she'd put me on _D-rank_ missions if we didn't get along!"

"Which is exactly why you should _try_ to get along with him." Sakura replies reasonably, handing me a Chinese-style, light, jade colored dress with dark green trim. "Face it, Tenten, you're probably never getting out of this engagement."

I stare at her for a moment and gasp. "You _like_ the fact that I'm engaged to him!"

"I never said that."

"But you _do!_ Tell me you don't and I'll call you a liar!" I scream pointing my finger at her chest.

She sighs heavily. "Ok, fine, I _do_ like the fact that you're engaged." Sakura rubbed her wrist and then looked at me with concern. "We were worried about you. You never dated and you never showed any interest in any of the guys, not even Sasuke, and we don't want you to end up bitter and alone—"

"I'm seventeen, not eighty."

"—And you know how being a ninja is! You could die any day now and we want you to find love before you get killed or something!"

"Really sweet and touching but I don't need another guy in my life . . ." I reply, trailing off as I think about my pen pal. Anonymous hasn't contacted me in a while, not that I expected him to because I've moved and I don't think he knows how to find me. That's one of the reasons why I didn't really want to move to the Hyuuga house. I _like_ writing to Anonymous. He's actually pretty cool and I wish he'd find me and send me a damn letter . . .

"'Another'?" she asks, giving me an odd look.

I'm panicking on the inside but I stay calm on the outside. "Yeah, you know, I've got Lee and everything now." I say, lowering my gaze so I can look at the dress she's picked out for me. I notice that it's long and there are slits on both sides, ones that go to mid-thigh, that can give you a peek at more skin. I give her a skeptical look. "You expect me to wear this?"

She's ignoring me and I can see the cogs in her mind working everything out.

"Oh."

Realization dawning! Crap!

"_You have a secret boy friend!_"

I wince. "No, I don't."

"But you said—"

"I meant I don't need _any_ guy in my life." I reply stonily. "Guys are retarded and high maintenance. I don't need to spend my nights stroking some loser's ego."

Sakura frowned. "You sound like some four year old who thinks guys have cooties."

"Hn."

She smirked while pushing me and the green dress into a fitting room. "Neji's rubbing off on you," she sang happily.

Hn, no he isn't.

XXXXX

**Neji**

"How're things going with Tenten now?" Shikamaru asked while gazing at the Shogi board.

"Hn."

"Getting better then."

Sasuke leans against a wood pillar and gazed at me, dark eyes way too trained on my person for my liking.

My eyes raised from the board and I stared at him. "What."

"You could use real language with us." he said dryly. "We're all competent people."

He's right. Hanging out with fellow geniuses Shikamaru and Sasuke was slightly liberating. Having someone to talk to who wasn't a compete moron was good. We've been getting together once every two weeks on Sundays for the past few months. All we do is play Shogi, Shikamaru's idea, and talk about politics, how much we wish we could be on missions or elsewhere and, now, my love life. I was not too happy when Shikamaru first asked me about Tenten, but now it's become so expected I don't give more than a sound as my answer and he finds it satisfactory.

"Hn."

Shikamaru moved his knight and then turned his attention to me. "Seriously, how are things going?" I opened my mouth to give my infamous one-syllable-answer-for-all-questions sound thing and he adds lazily, "Answer with real words this time."

"Things are . . . Getting better. We don't fight as much anymore and she's actually . . ." I search for the right adjective in my extensive vocabulary and I can't come up with anything better than, "Nice." God, I want to kill myself. Sasuke's raising an eyebrow at my choice of word and I scowl impressively at him. He shrugs but I can tell there's a smirk on his lips.

"Nice," Shikamaru repeats, lighting a cigarette and popping it in his mouth. "Is that all?"

I watch him inhale on the cigarette. It's a bad habit and I can't believe he took it up. He's supposed to be a genius, right? Asuma was a bad influence on him. Maybe he does it because it reminds him of his dead sensei and he feels like Asuma is still there if he smokes away his health.

"What else could there be?" I ask, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning back against my pillar turned back rest.

He exhaled smoke and gave me a weary look. "I don't know. Do you think she's pretty?"

"I don't see why that is anything you and the Uchiha need to know." I remark icily. My emotions, or lack thereof according to a certain brunette kunoichi, and likes are mine and shall be kept private. "We are not going to examine my relationship with her."

"So you think she's pretty." Sasuke affirms, giving me a smirk. "What else do you think of her?"

"I told you we're not doing this."

"We've done it enough, Neji." Shikamaru says dryly. "Tell me what you think of Tenten."

"I don't think _anything_." I snap. "I'm just going to marry her, have a kid and be done with it all. I don't give a damn about her."

"Harsh even for you, Hyuuga." Sasuke intones, giving me an odd look. "Nara and I know you're lying."

I let a growl like sound rip from my throat and Shikamaru rolls his eyes.

"If," I began, "Tenten and I have any sort of relationship it is only that of two people who are being forced to marry."

"So you two aren't friends?" Shikamaru asks.

"No."

"Then why were you two having tea and dango earlier today?"

My eyes narrow to slits. "Have you been spying on me?"

"Yes." he admits, shrugging his shoulders. "And you didn't even notice."

XXXXX

I retied my hair and leaned against the wall of Ryuu. There are tons of red Chinese lanterns hanging outside and they cast a sort of reddish-gold glow on the street. I can hear laughter and chatter from inside the restaurant. This place is only for royalty and the daimyo, I checked, and I wonder how Hiashi got us a private table inside. Probably the Hyuuga connections.

God, where _is_ she?

Hiashi's already inside, I know he is because I went in and he told me to go back outside and wait for Tenten like a gentlemen and escort her in when she arrived. I _hate_ waiting. It's a waste of precious time. I run my fingers through my bangs, brushing over my bandage covered forehead. I hesitate for a moment, thinking about the curse seal imbedded there. Does Tenten know about this curse? I frown and grip the bandages as if I was going to rip them off, which I won't. I know that things have gotten better between me and the Main branch but I still feel . . . I still can't stand the curse on my forehead. I'm not a caged bird anymore but I'm still not totally free and I can't figure out why except that this seal is keeping me bound and chained in ways I don't want to be.

If Tenten and I do have children I don't want them to be the way I am.

I should tell her.

She doesn't know what she's really getting into.

"Neji?"

I force myself not to jump at the sound of my name and stare forward to see Tenten's face extremely close to mine. Her face was filled with worry and she tentatively grasped my hand and forced me to release the bandages. She pats my hand and frowns at me like an aggravated mother. For someone who never had parents, she does the face very well.

My eyes flicker down her form and I like the dress she's wearing. It's a beautiful color and the shiny green trim on her dress catches the light nicely to highlight the curves of her body. Tenten has nice skin, not too dark and not extremely pale like the Uchiha's but a sort of natural color. I notice the slits on the sides of her dress. She has nice legs. They're very . . . Long.

"Neji," she says seriously, "you're going to hurt yourself if you do that."

"Yes, mother." I reply sarcastically. Tenten gasps, a sort of strangled sound, it's barely audible but I hear it and I look at her. "What."

"No—nothing."

I give her a disapproving frown and quickly take her hand. "Then let's get this over with."

XXXXX

**Tenten**

Oh.

My.

God.

Neji was _funny_.

The world is ending.

I absently pick at my food and Hiashi stares at me with those eerie Hyuuga eyes of his. For some reason, they seem a lot more dangerous on his face than on Neji's. Maybe I've just gotten used to Neji's, but the fact that they can see _everything_ kind of freaks me out. Does that mean it can see through clothes?

"Tenten-san, you should eat." Hiashi says, sipping some of his tea.

I give a small smile. "I just don't have an appetite right now, Hiashi-sama."

"Is the food not to your liking?"

"No! It's wonderful." I say, noticing the way one of the waiters was ready to swoop down on my plate and give me another menu. "I'm afraid I just don't feel very hungry tonight." I try to make my voice as apologetic as possible and Hiashi seems to buy it because he says not to worry and to eat when we got back to the Hyuuga house. Thank god. It's not that the food was bad, it really was great, I'm just really nervous right now for some reason and having a pair of all-seeing eyes on me does not help my nerves.

"How has Neji been treating you?"

I choke on my drink at the sudden question. Out of the corner of my eye I see Neji stiffen.

Crap.

What should I say?

"Um," I began, searching for the words. "He's been treating me well?"

_Crap_. I turned that statement into a question. Oh god dammit . . .

Hiashi gives me a sort of smile before turning to Neji and giving him a chilly glare. "Neji."

"We are getting along quite well." he replies promptly.

The Hyuuga head stares at us both, hard. "You two have been together for almost two months," he states and I kind of fidget in my seat from worry, "have you two kissed?"

Neji's staring back at his uncle calmly but I can feel my eyes going wide like giant saucers.

"No, we haven't." Neji answers.

Hiashi seems to decide something in his head when he hears this and laces his fingers together and lays his chin upon them. "You two will be going to pre-marriage counseling starting tomorrow."

I rise to protest but Neji puts his hand on my leg—my _thigh_—and gives me a warning look.

_Not now._

I grudgingly sit back down and shove his hand off of me.

"Since neither of you have any objections be at Hokage Tower tomorrow afternoon." Hiashi gets up and brushes invisible dust from his robes. "I bid you both goodnight."

When he finally leaves is when I explode.

"_Pre-Marriage counseling!?_" I shriek, grabbing the neck of Neji's Hyuuga robes. "_What the hell!?_ _We don't need to go to counseling!_" I shake him roughly with every word and he calmly takes my attack. It'd be so much easier if he would yell back, do _something_.

"Tenten," Neji pries my hands off his clothes and forces them down into my lap. "Whether you like it or not we must do this. Don't make our situation any worse than it already is."

"_You could've told him no!_"

"He would've forced us to go anyways." he replies.

"But you're the Hyuuga prodigy!" I say, pointing a finger at his chest. "If you didn't want it then Hiashi is _bound_ to let us off."

"I am also a Branch member, Tenten. I assure you, he would not have." I'm about to retort but Neji lays a finger over my lips. "There's no use arguing. Just bear with it until Hiashi deems us a sound engaged couple."

"Which we'll never be." I reply dejectedly.

Neji raises an eye brow at my comment. "And why is that?"

"Because neither of us want to be in this situation to begin with."

"Hn."

We enter a bout of silence only interrupted by some of the noise from the rest of the restaurant.

I can't take it anymore and say dubiously, "I can't believe we have to go to _counseling_."

Neji doesn't say anything but I know inside he's fuming.

"Hey, Neji?"

"Hn."

"What did you mean about being a Branch member?" I look at him and notice the way his brows furrowed. "Neji?"

"Nothing." he answers. "Just an old resentment."

I drop it because Neji obviously doesn't want to talk about this—whatever it is. If it's important I'm sure he'll talk to me about it because . . . We're . . . Something to each other.

I think.

XXXXX

A/N: Please review! Reviews equal my happy crack.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Yes, it is ANOTHER chapter and yes, I am inconsistent. I think I'm just going to update whenever I can from now on because I'm starting school again and the work will probably kill me.

Does anyone like the Akatsuki Leader/Pein x Unnamed Member/Blue pairing? PeinBlue? I can't be one of the only ones . . . And I wrote a PeinBlue fic too . . .

Yes, shameless advertising.

Give props to my lovely beta phantom1ntheshadows.

Disclaimer: I don't own.

XXXXX

Chapter 8

XXXXX

**Neji**

"Well that went well." Tenten says sarcastically.

"Hn."

She continues muttering obscenities about counseling and Hiashi.

I notice the sky darkening and I think a storm is coming.

Maybe I'll get struck by lightning . . .

We walk back to the Hyuuga house, I _refuse_ to call it home, and thunder sounds in the distance. I'm not fazed, I actually enjoy thunderstorms and such, but Tenten looks over her back hesitantly and moves closer to my side.

I raise an eyebrow at her. "Are you afraid?"

Tenten frowns. "A ninja isn't afraid of anything, N—" another crack of thunder and she's clutching my arm. I stare at her dubiously. "Ok, maybe a little." she admits in a high voice. Her eyes close for a moment and I stop to allow her to gather herself. Tenten breathes and lets go of my arm, fisting her hands and placing them by her sides. "I think I'm ok now—" The sky opens up at that exact moment and Tenten lets out a small harsh breath when she sees lightning in the distance. She lets out a small whimper when we hear more thunder and puts her hands over her ears.

I look up at the dark sky and then back at her. We're still quite a ways from the Hyuuga house and I see some shops a few yards away. I take Tenten's arm and drag her over there, taking us both underneath the roof covering of one.

At least we're not going to be rained on anymore.

Tenten slides down against the wall and brings her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and laying her forehead against her arms.

I can see her shaking and it only becomes more pronounced as we hear more thunder.

Pride be damned.

I gracelessly drop to the ground beside her, no one's watching, and wrap an arm around her shoulders reassuringly and bring her into my side. Tenten looks up at me in surprise before she snakes her own arms around my waist and hugs me for all she's worth, burying her face into my shirt.

"You're afraid of thunder." I state simply.

"What of it?" she mumbles into my chest.

"It's surprising."

"Hn."

I raise an eyebrow at her using 'hn'. Had she always used it? "You always appear . . ." I can't find the right adjective. ". . . so I think it's odd that a mere sound can scare you."

Tenten lifts her head and snorts. "And? A lot of things scare me."

I stare down at her. "Like?"

"Well," she bites her lower lip and looks away, "getting married scares me."

This is news to me.

"Marrying me scares you?" I ask.

"Not necessarily _you_," Tenten muttered, "just the whole thing in general. I'm only seventeen. I'm not ready to 'settle down' yet . . ." She leans comfortably into my side and tightens her arms when we see some lightning.

I finger the collar of her dress. "Neither am I."

"Look at us having a heart-to-heart," she says. "It's so weird."

"Hn."

Tenten lets go of my waist, frowning at me. "You could say more than 'hn' you know. I'm being honest right now."

"Are you sure you're afraid of thunder?" I ask, looking at her and adding, "Because you seem fine now."

"You think I did all that just so you'd hold me?" she responds dryly.

"Hn."

Tenten rolls her eyes. "You're so arrogant." I rolls my eyes right back and she grins, then she's suddenly serious and staring hard into my eyes. "Thank you, Neji," Tenten says sincerely, laying her cheek against my shoulder, "thank you . . ."

I don't say anything and look forward into the rain.

For some reason, sitting here with Tenten is nice.

XXXXX

I didn't hesitate and pushed open her bedroom door, not caring whether or not she was decent. I suppose it was a bad decision on my part seeing as Tenten almost gave me a fashionable piercing on my left eyebrow. When she saw it was me she dropped her senbon tiredly, the needles making a light sound when they met the floor, and lay back onto her bed, groaning. I shut the door quietly behind me and made my way to her bed, sitting down on the edge and making it dip towards me. Her body rolled my way and she quickly held up her hand against my back so she wouldn't crash into me.

I pressed the back of my hand to her forehead. "Are you sick?" Tenten shook her head but her skin was abnormally hot. "Was it the rain last night?"

"I don't know. Maybe." She lay on her back now, staring up at me from her prone position on the bed. "What are you doing here?"

"You forget that I also live here, Tenten." I say monotonously. "We also have a counseling session in an hour."

She throws her arm up over her face. "Oh god, that's right . . ."

"I could go alone."

I'd rather not but she doesn't seem well.

"_No_." Tenten says flatly. "I can't abandon you with this. . . Stupid thing. It wouldn't be right after what you did for me last night. A friend wouldn't do that to another friend . . ."

"Hn."

We've become friends.

Never thought I'd see the day.

I watch her lips turn downwards in a frown.

"I know what you're thinking and I don't care if I'm sick."

"I wasn't thinking anything."

Tenten lifts her arm and peeks at me from under dark lashes. "Liar." she says accusingly with a playful smirk. "You were worried about me?"

I give her a stony glare. "Don't assume such things." I hate that she can sense that. It's like a woman's sixth sense; an intuition . . . _Thing_. So what if I was a little worried? I have to make sure she's in good health . . . And . . . It just helps my peace of mind for some reason. I want to sigh but I don't. Instead I look around her bedroom, noticing the half unpacked boxes lining the wall opposite her bed. "You haven't unpacked everything." I state, my gaze returning to her face. "Why?"

She shrugs. "I keep hoping that I'll be able to move back to my apartment. If I unpack everything it makes this seem permanent."

"It _is_ permanent." I remind her patiently.

"I can always dream."

"Foolish."

Tenten reaches up and smacks my shoulder smartly. "I have to change, then we can meet the counselor from hell, ok?"

XXXXX

Guess who our counselor is.

Just guess.

My god, I never thought—never _dreamed_—Hiashi and the Hokage would go to such lengths.

"Huh," Jiraiya says, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "you two obviously lack _it_."

Tenten looks at me, then back at the white haired Sannin. "'It'?"

"The _fire!_ The _spark_ that will make your romance!"

She laughs. "I hate to burst your bubble, Jiraiya-sama, but I don't think Neji and I have any romance—"

Jiraiya takes her hands in his and looks deeply into her eyes. "No," he says. "I see it. There's definitely some chemistry between you two, however subtle it may be." He caresses the back of Tenten's hand and I narrow my eyes at him. Jiraiya gives Tenten a sly smile. "Why don't you and I talk a little more over d—"

Suddenly his face is sent crashing into the floor and an angry Hokage is standing above him, fist outstretched.

I force myself not to be surprised but Tenten's just staring and staring at her hands, which Jiraiya had been holding only moments before.

"_Jiraiya_," Tsunade says, voice deadly, "I asked you to help them, not use the time to ask Tenten on dates. She's getting _married_, you idiot."

Jiraiya picked himself up off the ground, rubbing the back of his head. "It's a wonder my skull isn't broken. Your insane strength is going to kill me one day."

"The girls can rest easier once that day comes." she snaps.

Tenten and I watch the exchange quietly and I can't help but think that these two Sannin seem like an old married couple. Will _we_ be like this twenty or thirty years from now?

Tsunade sighs and runs her fingers through her bangs. "Hurry it up, will you? I need my office back."

Jiraiya rolls his eyes and produces a familiar looking orange book, a book I've seen numerous times in the hands of one, Hatake Kakashi.

I sincerely hope he doesn't expect us to read that.

"You're 'homework' right now is to read this book," he indicates Icha Icha Paradise, "and I'm only giving you one copy so you'll have to read it together. And . . ." Jiraiya produces a brown canvas bag from behind the Hokage's desk and pulls out a small red book with golden letters on the cover. "You two should read this later on." He holds it out and Tenten takes it.

"_Kama Sutra!?_" she shrieks once she gets a good look at the title.

"For your wedding night and such." he replies seriously. "If you want I can give you m—"

"That won't be necessary, Jiraiya-sama." I say hurriedly, keeping the blush on my cheeks to a minimum. God, this is so uncomfortable . . .

"Oh?" Jiraiya asks with a foxy smile. "So you've experienced the joys of s—"

Tsunade punches him again.

Thankfully, we're allowed to leave.

XXXXX

Tenten and I sit on her bed, the two books between us.

She bites her lower lip and takes _Kama Sutra_, placing it in her lap and opening to a random page. Her eyes scan it for a moment before she closes the book slowly.

"It's what you think it is." Tenten says stiffly.

I don't even have to ask.

I'd heard that the _complete_ Kama Sutra had more than just sex positions, but apparently Jiraiya gave us the choppy version.

"So," Tenten's got a weird gleam in her eyes and she smiles coyly. "Do you want to look at them?"

"No."

XXXXX

**Tenten**

I run into Hinata while I'm walking through the hallways and I realize suddenly that I haven't been seeing much of her lately. She smiles shyly when I ask her where she's been and mutters something about going out and spending time at Ichiraku.

Holy crap.

"Are you dating _him?_" I ask, dragging her outside into the gardens so we can have some privacy.

"N-No, it's not w-what y-you think—"

"Then tell me!"

Hinata shifts uncomfortably, then takes my hand and we go deeper into the foliage and away from the house.

I don't understand why she wants to be so secretive, but she tells me.

"M-My father might not a-approve." Hinata says quietly. "There a-are s-still people who dislike Naruto-kun and the fact that," she takes in a shuddering breath, "Kyuubi is inside him doesn't make it any e-easier."

He'd told us himself about being a Jinchuuriki one night while we sat around the memorial stone on Team 7's training ground. I'd always wondered why Naruto was so hated within Konoha and it made sense after he informed us of his unwanted guest. God, I never realized how hard he had it and knowing the truth about him only made him seem more . . . Amazing. It's not like I have a crush on him or anything, Naruto's just really nice and the fact that he's gone through so much only makes him seem that much more awesome. I really hope he becomes Hokage someday. He's been spouting that since the first day I met him and I think he could one of the best Hokages Konoha has ever seen.

"Do you think your father will force you two apart?"

Hinata closes her eyes for a moment before answering. "Maybe. I don't want to risk it b-but the secrecy b-bothers, Naruto. I-I feel bad about l-lying but I'm afraid, Tenten."

The only thing I can do is hug her and tell her it'll be ok.

So I do.

XXXXX

I drop to the ground to avoid being Jyuuken-ed in the chest and swing my leg around low in hopes of catching Neji off guard. No such luck as he easily avoids my attack. I throw a bunch of kunai, some with exploding tags, in retaliation. He goes into Kaiten like I knew he would and I open my large scroll again and run a bloody thumb across some of the signs, producing a giant spiked bomb.

Neji's slowing down and my bomb detonates above his head.

There's a shower of needles and there's not enough time for him to get into a proper defense so he tries jumping out of the way, getting stabbed a few times in the process.

It's something new I've developed and I'm glad to note that the needles went everywhere when I come out from behind the tree I used as my shield. There's a certain distance where you can stand and not get hit, about five meters, but the trees create such an enclosed space here that it's just easier to hide behind something rather than get away.

Neji pulls out a few of the needles imbedded in his right shoulder roughly. "I've never seen that one," he says calmly, Byakugan moving over my person slowly. I know he can see me. His eyes narrow as I step out from behind the tree. "You always throw me something I'm not ready for. You've improved."

"You flatter me." I reply. "Need help getting those things out of your arm?"

He doesn't give me enough time before he's right in front of me, palm hitting my chest. He doesn't look surprised when the body erupts into smoke and a half-split tree trunk is there instead of me. Neji looks up and jumps back just as I slash the katana downward, missing.

"Stay _still!_"

"If I listened to you I'd be sporting a good sized cut on my chest right now." he replies.

"Well you'll have to listen to me soon!" I snap, annoyed.

Neji crosses his arms across his chest and studies me with un-Byakugan-ed eyes. "Why is that?"

I smirk. "Husbands have to listen to their wives."

"Hn."

"You don't believe me? Think about it, Neji. All the married women in Konoha have their husbands wrapped around their finger." I say smugly, liking the way he shifts uncomfortably. "I think we'll be just like them, don't you?"

He doesn't respond but there's the slightest bit of worry on his brow.

Score!

XXXXX

I sigh happily.

Taking a warm bath after training is like heaven.

I lay down on my bed, head sinking into the lush pillows.

Maybe I'll nap a little.

XXXXX

I wake up to the feeling of something clawing at my shoulder.

Holy crap.

What the hell is that?

Slowly I turn my head to look at my shoulder and the moment I see it's a bird I almost cry out in relief.

And then I realize something.

I get a good look at it and see that yes, it was white and yes, _it had a note tied to its' leg._

Oh.

My.

God.

_Anonymous_.

XXXXX

A/N: He's BACK! Reviews are my happy crack!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Bet you're all happy I FINALLY updated.

So. Today's my birthday and I wanted to be nice. Yay! You guys have been waiting for over a month and I'm sorry, but school has been terrible. Work, work, work, work, work and it never ends.

Oh my god, who's read the new Naruto chapter? I _knew_ Konan used to be Jiraiya's student. She was on his genin team with Yondaime Hokage! YES.

This is un-beta'd at the moment so I apologize for spelling errors etc.

Disclaimer: I don't own.

XXXXX

Chapter 9

XXXXX

**Tenten**

Should I read it?

I pick up the note, fingers itching to unroll it.

Maybe it's not him.

I put it down.

God, since when have I gotten so worked up over a stupid letter before? I scrubbed my hands over my face and wanted to scream. Anonymous and I had only been writing to each other for, what, a month? I didn't even know his _name_ and yet . . . I don't know, I felt really _giddy_. _Happy_ that he'd written back to me, that he _found_ me again. I don't know what's wrong with me. Is this weird? Am I just overreacting? Why the hell am I acting like some stupid twelve year old who's just had her first crush? Only younger girls are supposed to act this way . . .

Ok, I need to stop thinking and just do it.

Breathing slowly, I open the letter and read:

_Tenten,_

_I was a little annoyed when you didn't reply for two weeks, I had sent you a letter, but then I heard from a few people in Konoha that you had moved. How is your residence in the Hyuuga mansion? I'd heard that the Hyuuga live in the lap of luxury, is it true? What are they like? Treating you well?_

_I'm not sure you understand how entertaining the binoculars bit was for me. I don't have many opportunities for practical jokes. I'm surprised you fell for it though. Didn't your shinobi senses tingle at all? Perhaps you're slipping Tenten, a dangerous thing for a kunoichi to be doing._

_Work harder._

_I'm not comfortable sharing about my past. It's not very . . . Well, I'm sure you get the point._

_Sandaime Hokage named you? I find that very interesting. I'm surprised I'd never heard anything about this. He must've liked you very much._

_Hyuuga Tenten? Is the addition of a last name appealing? I think I'd find it troublesome, mainly because I'd spend my whole life trying to live up to the Hyuuga name. Don't you think it'd be a little wearisome?_

_Eagerly awaiting your reply._

_-Anonymous_

Troublesome.

Troublesome, troublesome, troublesome.

You know who I think of when I see or hear that word?

Nara Shikamaru.

XXXXX

I search around the Academy, looking for a familiar head of dark hair put up in a high pony tail.

Recently I'd gotten into the habit of calling him 'pineapple head'.

Thankfully he doesn't seem to mind.

Much.

A dozen small Academy students rush past me, screaming something about practicing their shuriken throws and it brings back a rush of memories from my own Academy days. I can't remember if I was messing around or goofing off, like a few guys I know who did in their days, all I can remember is the long nights of training with a wooden post, trying to perfect my accuracy and improve my precision. I think I cut myself more times than I can count back in the day. God, I can't believe it's been nine years since I first entered . . .

I round the corner, turning into a long hallway and I stop. My feet seem rooted to the floor and I can't stop staring at the spectacle before me:

Shikamaru.

And Temari.

Making out in the middle of the hallway.

It's got to be one of the kinkiest things ever.

I mean, what type of person starts feeling another person up in a place where eight year olds might see?

I cough loudly and the two break apart, Shikamaru evidently embarrassed to be caught, but Temari looks cool and composed as ever and winks at me, a mischievous grin on her lips. I have a feeling that she knew I was standing there and that Shikamaru was the only one unawares, too engrossed in kissing her.

"Sorry to ruin your make out session," I say dryly, watching as a flush makes its way up Shikamaru's face as Temari smirks. "But can I talk to you, Shikamaru?"

He pulls at his collar and says gruffly, "Sure."

The blonde Suna-nin grabs his face and presses her lips gently against his. "We'll finish this later, ok?"

I didn't think a person's face could go that red, but obviously Shikamaru's can. It's like the color of an overly ripe tomato. Temari walks past me, smiling, and I smile back.

Shikamaru sighs, face gone back to normal, and pulls out a pack of cigarettes from his Chuunin vest, popping one out, putting the pack back where he'd gotten it and fishing for a lighter in his pants. "What do you need?" he asks as he lights it, inhaling deeply. "I have to fill in for Iruka so I have about ten minutes before the brats come back in."

"Not much fun teaching a bunch of eight year olds, huh?"

"It's _too_ much fun. I never realized how," he grimaces, "interested they were in certain subjects."

I was intrigued. "What do they ask you?"

"Stuff about my life, my relationships. It's damn annoying." He sucks on his cigarette for a moment, seemingly enjoying the nicotine's calming effect, and added, "Troublesome."

"Do you write letters?" I ask, staring at his face expectantly.

"What type?"

"Regular ones, I guess. Just to a friend maybe?"

"I write to Temari I guess. Pretty much everyone lives in Konoha. Why would I need to write to someone when we're in walking distance?"

Good point.

But . . .

"Maybe to keep animosity? You know how some people are . . ."

Shikamaru cast me a funny glance and for a split second I think he knew what I was getting at, who Anonymous _was_, but he simply shrugs and says I have a valid point.

"Nara-sensei!"

"Nara-sensei! Where's Temari-san?"

"Were you two k-i-s-s-i-n-g again?"

Shikamaru sighs deeply and mutters something about 'brats from hell' as two dozen children come running down the hall.

He groans. "I've got to go. See you later, Tenten."

I give him a sympathetic look. "Ok. I'll talk to you later."

XXXXX

**Neji**

I frown as I'm dragged into the Yamanaka flower shop by Yamanaka Ino herself, and my frown deepens as I see Haruno Sakura and Hinata inside as well. The pink haired girl closes the shop door and turns the sign. I think I know where this is going and I don't like it one bit.

"What is this about?" I ask as the three girls scrutinize my person.

"There's nothing _wrong_ with you, but there _must_ be something!" Ino insists, turning to her friends. "I can't see it."

Sakura shrugs. "Tenten's always been a little . . ."

"S-She never showed interest in a-anyone, n-not even Uchiha-san . . ." Hinata states in her shaky speech, clasping her hands in front of her.

"And _everyone_ shows interest in Sasuke." Sakura said matter-of-factly.

"I know! But Neji's also a sexy prodigy!" Ino cries, pointing to me and looking me up and down. "I can't understand why she hasn't tried to jump your bones yet!"

What a crude way of putting it . . .

"I don't know what you're talking about." I say, even though I do.

I've seen the way the Konoha girls salivate over Sasuke, and I must say that I find it incredibly disturbing. Most of the time they look like rabid dogs, ready to drag him into an alley and have their way with him. I can't understand why they won't give up. He runs away/ignores them every time they come around. If that's not the sign of disinterest I don't know what is.

"Have you tried to kiss Tenten yet?" Sakura demands. "Has she tried to kiss _you?_"

I'm taken aback by her bluntness and frown. "I don't see how my personal life is any concern of yours—"

Sakura stalks up to me, standing on her toes to stare me in the eye and her look is positively glacial. "_Answer._" she says, voice dripping poison and promises of pain.

"Hn."

I must be one of the most insane guys in the world because no sane man would not answer with her in front of him like this.

She seems satisfied after staring me in the eyes for a few more seconds and breaks her gaze.

"They haven't done _anything_ yet." she says with a sigh.

It's uncanny how she knows this.

Ino groans and Hinata bites her lower lip.

"Ok," Ino says, mouth turning up in a sly grin, "we're going to have to fix that."

XXXXX

I've had lessons before, but never a lesson in kissing. I've never felt more humiliated in my life but they said that I'd certainly appreciate all the work we did perfecting my technique. I never knew the angle of your head was a key factor in kissing. Didn't you just mash you lips to the other person's and hope they liked it? Thankfully they didn't have me trying to kiss a mannequin or something, but I can't believe they drew up a whole manual. Didn't they have better things to do with their time?

Actually, I can't believe I have the stupid kissing manual _with_ me.

Hinata suggested I take it, Ino and Sakura shoved it at me and then slammed the door of the flower shop in my face.

Took real restraint not to chuck it back through the window.

I don't need to know how to kiss, god dammit.

I frown, glaring hard at the scroll sitting in the middle of my bed.

'The Boys Guide to Kissing: What a Girl Wants' as the kunoichi so lovingly dubbed it.

I won't ever need this stupid thing. Tenten and I don't have a relationship like that! We're teammates, friends and unwilling fiancés . . .

We.

Will.

Not.

Kiss.

"Neji!"

I stuff the scroll under my pillow as Tenten walks in, closing the door to my bedroom with a loud bang. I'd told her to stop doing that.

She drops onto my bed and my eyes travel to my pillow for a second before drifting back to her.

"What do you need?" I ask. The faster I get rid of her the faster I can get rid of the scroll.

"We have a mission, something about helping a farmer pick crops, so be at the south gates bright and early day after next." she says cheerfully. I stared at her for a moment and her brows furrowed. "What? What's wrong? You're looking at me funny . . ."

"You seem so excited just to _pick crops._"

A smirk appears on her lips and Tenten tilts her head to the side and asks, "How were the kissing lessons?"

The blood in my body turns to ice.

"Y-You _know_ about that?"

She smiles and grabs my sleeve, forcing me to sit. "Of course I do, they tell me everything! And," she adds coyly, "I've never heard you stutter before. Embarrassed?"

I snort, trying to get back my unfeeling disposition. "Hn."

Tenten laughs and it's a pleasant sound, one I wouldn't mind listening to more often actually.

God, I'm such a loser.

XXXXX

**Tenten**

Another day, another counseling session from hell.

I fidget under Jiraiya's intense scrutiny and I can tell Neji's getting irritated as well. I _hate_ this. Neji and I are _fine_ the way we are, not kissing or groping each other like a bunch of t—oh wait, we _are_ teenagers. My mistake. The point is Neji and I don't do that type of stuff. We're shinobi. A proper shinobi wouldn't go fooling around with a sexy Hyuuga prodigy when there are missions to be done . . . No matter how much she wants to . . .

Oh god.

I close my eyes for a second and clench my fists.

I do _not_ want to make out with Neji.

Who cares if he's incredibly hot and has a gorgeously sexy voice?

I'm not going to kiss him.

Jiraiya looks at me, then at Neji. "Kiss her."

I'm out of my seat in an instant. "_What the hell!?_"

"No." the Hyuuga prodigy says firmly.

"Why not?" Jiraiya asks Neji, eyes narrowed to slits. "Do you think she's ugly?"

"N—"

So he doesn't think I'm ugly . . .

"Or is it that she's not good enough for you?"

"N—"

"Do you think she's fat?"

"N—"

Hell, do I _look_ fat to you?

"Are you seeing someone else?"

"_N—_"

"Then you're just having sex with the girl."

"_N—_"

"It's a boy then?"

Ha ha ha! Good one, Jiraiya-sama.

"_NO_." Neji glares at the white haired Sannin. "I do not think Tenten is ugly, she is good enough for me, she's not fat, I'm not seeing anyone else, I'm not having sex with another girl and I am not having sex with a guy."

Wow, what a revelation. Neji doesn't think I'm ugly, I'm good enough for him, I'm not fat and he's faithful to me. The girls would be proud. I think the faithfulness is ingrained into the Hyuuga brain because they're very loyal. I don't think Neji would ever be the kind to cheat and I kind of find it appealing. Really appealing. Like, something I really appreciate in my soon-to-be husband.

"If that's the case," Jiraiya eyes him expectantly, "why don't you kiss her?"

XXXXX

**Neji**

Why don't I kiss her?

I don't know . . . Maybe because she doesn't _want_ me to kiss her?

Tenten looks a little dazed and I wonder if she's alright.

"T—"

I am then forcefully shoved towards her, loosing my equilibrium and falling on top of her.

Face.

Into.

Her.

Breasts.

Holy shit.

Tenten's chest rises and falls and I hastily get myself from her breasts, my face burns a little. She's staring at me, shock written all over her face and I sincerely hope that the redness on her face is from something other than anger because she seems the type of woman to kill a man for doing something like that.

"I-I'm sorry." I stammer.

What the hell? Why am I stammering? I don't stammer. That's Hinata's job. I've never stammered before. Since when have I stammered? This is all her fault. I've never done such stupid things before. Why does Tenten make me do crazy things? I'm supposed to be like ice. Cool. Collected. Composed. But every time, every damn time, I end up doing something uncharacteristic with her around. Well, this time it wasn't my fault. It was Jiraiya's . . . And Tenten being there. Tenten with her quite large breasts and womanly figure . . .

I need to stop hanging out with Naruto.

Tenten breathes deeply and then looks at me serenely. "It's alright. I know it wasn't your fault." She then glares at Jiraiya pointedly and the white haired Sannin sheepishly smiles.

"I was hoping for one of those 'fall into' kisses." he says.

"Are we allowed to leave yet? I didn't come here to get faux molested."

"Not until you two kiss." Jiraiya adds, "It's part of your counseling."

She sighs and then motions to me. "Come on, let's get this over with."

"Excuse me?"

Tenten rolls her eyes. "Neji," she says, exasperation lacing her tone a little, "just kiss me so we can leave. I'm tired of being here." I don't do anything for a few seconds and she roughly grabs my hand and puts it on her waist, tugging me along as well. "Just do it."

I frown but comply, cupping her face in my hands. She sighs and stares at me ruefully. I can't tell what she's thinking. Does she like this? Does she dislike this? I don't know what the hell I'm doing, I guess I'll just go on instinct or something.

I lean down and gently press my lips against hers.

It feels . . . Nice.

XXXXX

**Tenten**

Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap.

Neji is _kissing_ me.

I repeat, _kissing_ me.

Is this what his fan girls fantasize about?

Crap.

God dammit, this is my first kiss. You know how people, mainly girls I guess, want to save their first kiss for someone special? Well, crazy as it sounds, that's what I wanted to do and I squandered it with Neji! I didn't even realize till _after_ he kissed me. God, I'm a retard. But the kiss is nice. Not one of those oh-my-god-this-is-the-hottest-kiss-ever ones, but it's also not one of those I'm-going-to-suck-your-face-off kisses. It's a sweet one, gentle.

I pull back a little, breaking contact, and I can't read Neji's expression. It's mostly blank. Did he not like it? Is he angry? Embarrassed? Annoyed? Depressed that he had to kiss me?

"Wonderful!" Jiraiya calls. For a second I forgot he was in the room with us. "You guys did well today and I'll see you again soon. I'll have Tsunade send word next time I'm available."

Neji murmurs his signature 'hn' and mutters something about getting ready for our mission.

Mission . . . Right.

For some reason I want to stab something . . . Or cry.

XXXXX

A/N: Reviews are my happy crack.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Infamous chapter 10. Ironically, this chapter is 10 pages long. I know I've kept you guys waiting for . . . well, an extremely long time, but here is the NEXT CHAPTER OF BLUE BLOODS! I was having _major_ writer's block for a few months and then I finally got my muse back a little while ago and wrote this.

I'll be updating Romantic Egoist as soon as I can. I'm about . . . halfway done with the next chapter.

Sucketh does the life of a student and woe is the work. Totally random but I'm sure others can relate.

Disclaimer: I don't own.

XXXXX

Chapter 10

XXXXX

**Neji**

When life throws you lemons you make lemonade, but I've never actually_ had_ a lemon thrown at me.

Not the _real_ saying, but I feel this one is more appropriate at the moment.

Tenten says it was an accident—_oh yeah_, I believe her alright—but the citrus fruit had hit me perfectly in the back of the head. It practically welded itself into my skull. I don't know why Tenten is so . . . Irritated right now. This is our first real mission, something we've both been looking forward to, and she picks this time to get pissed off.

I frown at the yellow fruit and then shoot a glare her way.

Tenten smiles cheerily and waves.

She makes me so angry sometimes I could just . . . Just—

My shoulders stiffen when _it_ makes impact and I think the vein in my neck is bulging. I slowly turn around to stare at the orange fruit on the ground behind me.

That bitch!

"Oops!" Tenten comes running up and bends down to pick up the orange. I resist the urge to kick her in the ass. That wouldn't go over well with Hiashi if he found out. "This one got away from me just now," she smiles at me, "sorry Neji."

I'm sure.

XXXXX

**Tenten**

I think the orange made my mood perfectly clear.

I hate him. Hate, hate, _hate_ him.

We kiss and Neji, being the bastard that he is, doesn't want to talk about it. What the hell? I just gave him my first kiss—my lips are no longer virgin, god dammit!—and he goes off to _pack his things_ for our_stupid _mission. I angrily throw another orange down, missing the crate. It makes impact with the ground and splits, showering the side of my leg with juice and pulp.

"Tenten!" Lee cries, hurrying over to my side. "You've been very high-strung this glorious morning! Are you feeling well?"

"I'm fine, Lee." I manage to grind out while picking another fruit.

"Perhaps it would be wise if you," Lee's eyes move to the pile of destroyed oranges behind me, "sat down and _relaxed_ for a moment. You've been working very hard for the past few hours, Tenten."

"I said I'm fine!"

I squeeze tightly as I yell and I feel sticky juice and pulp flow disgustingly out of my hand.

Another orange bites the dust.

Lee pats my shoulder and I sigh.

"Ok, maybe a short break."

XXXXX

"You've damaged more oranges than you've picked."

I glare up at Neji.

"_Thank you_ for your intelligent statement, Neji. Now please, go pick some fruit."

He doesn't go and instead joins me, sitting on his haunches to look me in the eye.

"I don't like having things thrown at me, Tenten," he says seriously. "Tell me what's wrong and I'll try to fix it."

I had the strongest urge to say 'it's you, fool!' but I didn't. I look away and sip some water.

Neji stares at me for a few more seconds and says, "Women are very strange . . . Or perhaps it's just you."

"You just wait, Hyuuga Neji." I say, voice low and menacing, "When we're married I am going to make your life a living _hell_. And if we have children—oh, you'd better hope I'm in a generous mood then."

"Seriously Tenten, what is this about?"

He's not taking my threat seriously!

"You want to know what it is?" I look side to side and, satisfied that Lee and Gai are far away, I whisper into Neji's ear, "It's that you are an ass! How could you just go off like that after we kissed?" I lean back and his face is blank. I frown.

Neji looks genuinely confused and asks, "What kiss?"

I want to kill him.

Was it _that bad_ that he's wiped the entire ordeal from his memory? I clench my fists in anger and humiliation. So what if he doesn't remember. I don't care! Kissing Neji was like . . . Like . . . the worst moment of my life! Second to this one.

And suddenly, he's smirking at me.

"Is this what you've been angry about?" he asks. "That stupid kiss?"

"You're laughing at me in your head, aren't you?" I say accusingly. "And it wasn't _stupid_—"

"Oh?"

"That was my _first kiss_ you loser!" I snap, smacking Neji on the shoulder.

He turns solemn. "Should we mourn the loss of your first kiss?"

"Don't mock me. This is serious."

"Personally," Neji began, "I don't think I'm a bad kisser—"

"Yeah? Well, you suck!" I yell.

"Stop acting so childish." he says flatly. "It's unbecoming of you, Tenten."

I'm about to give him a piece of my mind but Gai comes running up, Lee behind him, with a giant smile plastered on his face.

"Beautiful flower Tenten and youthful Neji! We've finished our mission! Lee and I worked youthfully and accomplished much while you two rested!" Gai's teeth sparkled. "Race back to Konoha and let your youthful spirits soar!"

XXXXX

**Neji**

Tenten was angry . . . Over that dumb kiss.

But . . . I guess it was her first. And girls always seem to want their first kiss to be special . . . Would it make her feel better to know that that was _my_ first kiss too?

. . . Nah.

XXXXX

**Tenten**

Oh my god, where are they?

WHERE ARE MY FUCKING WEAPONS!?

I get down on my knees and grope under my bed for the box with my secret stash. I sigh with relief as my fingers make contact with the wood and I pull it out.

I open the box and gleaming metal doesn't greet me . . . But a note does.

_You can't tell right now, but I'm laughing at you._

_HA, HA, HA!_

_I know you'll kill me for this, but you'll thank me in due time. I stole your weapons (quite obvious from the lack of them in the 'secret stash' which, by the way, isn't so secret since Hinata found it and told me and Sakura. Can you say perfect leverage?) and I'm not telling you where they are/giving them back until you do something for me._

_I want you to kiss Neji. Not a peck on the cheek or something stupid like that, but a REAL kiss. Do not skimp on it because I swear that I'll melt your precious little senbon into new hair clips if you don't do it right._

_Meet me at the shop afterwards and I'll give them to you if I deem it satisfactory and yes, I'll be able to tell. A girl who's just been kissed by the guy she likes has a certain glow about her._

_Love you!_

_-Ino_

That girl is going to _die_ once I get my hands on her and it's going to be long and _painful_ and god dammit, _where_ does she get the nerve to come sneaking into my room and stealing _my_ stuff? And how does she have the _audacity_ to say that I like Neji? I most certainly do _not_.

"Tenten."

I turn to the door and I can't help the smile that comes to my lips.

Perfect timing.

"Wait!" I call, hastily stuffing the note back into the box and shoving it under my bed.

Huh. I need to change. This dust on my shirt and pants is disgusting. I really should let the maids come in and dust under the bed for once.

XXXXX

**Neji**

There's a muffled sound through the door and words that sound like 'bait' repeated about five times. Is she going to catch an animal? I'm intrigued and, though I know it's against my upbringing, quietly activate Byakugan to look through her door.

My cheeks feel a little hot as I witness Tenten changing.

I hastily deactivate my Byakugan after I receive quite a nice glimpse of her legs and slim waist and very ample chest. Oh my god, I'm turning into a pervert. I'm using my Byakugan to stare at Tenten through her bedroom door . . .

"Hey Neji."

I turn around at the sound of my name and I try not to cringe at the look that Hanabi is giving me.

"Hanabi-sama." I say, hoping she'll go away.

There's a huge grin on her face now and I want to wince.

"Staring at Tenten through her bedroom door with Byakugan." she says slyly, "Never thought you would have it in you, Neji-niisan . . ."

"I am not doing anything." I deny stonily.

"_Sure._"

Oh, what I'd give to be able to smack that stupid smirk off her face.

"Oh, Tenten!"

I hadn't even noticed that she'd opened her door.

"Hey Hanabi. Neji."

"Guess what Neji-niisan was just doing!"

I stiffen and I can see my bleak future, filled with sharp objects I might add, flash before my eyes.

"What?" Tenten asks. I can hear the amusement in her voice.

Hanabi holds a finger up to her lips. "It's a secret." She gives me one last smirk and walks off, disappearing around the corner at the far end of the hallway.

Tenten pokes me in the shoulder and I turn around. "A secret." she says skeptically. I don't say anything and she sighs. "Sorry you had to wait. Come in."

Ah, so she was saying 'wait'.

I close the door behind me and Tenten plops down onto her bed, gazing ruefully at me.

"Ok, so what were you doing outside my door?"

"I came to talk to you." I answer truthfully.

"Alright. So talk."

I sit down beside her on the bed and pray that I can look her in the eyes without blushing. Right now all I can think of when I look at her is her naked. Tenten stares at me and pokes me in the cheek.

"Sorry." I say, rubbing my temples.

"You're spacing out." she says playfully. "Are you ok?"

"I'm sorry."

Tenten gazes quizzically at me, frowning. "Sorry?" she asks. "About what?"

I try not to sigh and pluck a loose thread from her shirt. "For your first kiss."

"Oh," she smiles, "_that_."

"Yes, that."

There's something weird about her right now but I can't place my finger on it . . .

"You can make it up to me, Neji." she says, voice husky.

I lean away from her a little. "What?"

XXXXX

**Tenten**

How dense can this boy be? Honestly.

I roll my eyes and press my lips to his.

At first we're just mashing lips to lips but I turn my head slightly and we're kissing, close-mouthed of course. Neji hesitantly begins to return my kiss and I smile despite myself, closing my eyes as he places a hand on my neck. I really like this. I mean, I instigated this, but I'm just relieved that Neji's responding the way he is because it's much easier. When his tongue licks my lips for entrance I hastily pull back, pressing my fingertips to my lips as Neji just stares at me.

"Um . . ." I begin, at a loss for words.

Neji stands up. "I have to go." he says.

I nod and he leaves my room.

It was only a kiss—one little kiss—and I think I'm blushing like a school girl.

Then I'm running.

XXXXX

The Yamanaka flower shop is in my sights but I run into Ino before I reach the door.

"I did it." I say in between breaths.

She stares at me, amused, and appraises my disheveled appearance.

"Did you just run here after you guys kissed?" Ino asks, putting her hands on her hips. "Because that totally wasn't the point of the bet—"

"_One_ kiss." I remind her. "You only said I had to get one."

"Oh _fine!_" she snaps, pissed. "Your weapons are under the counter."

I'm immediately in the store and behind the counter, pulling out a cardboard box filled with my artillery. Shiny shuriken, kunai and senbon greet me and I'm about to cry. I've never been so happy to see my babies. I hug the box to my chest. She doesn't understand! The bond between me and my weapons is sacred! It's, like, the earth and water—one can't _exist_ without the other and I know I'm exaggerating a little, but that's what it feels like. I give her a filthy look while pulling out a kunai and tracing the edge lovingly.

"I can't believe you stole these from my room—" I say nastily, knowing she's standing right behind me. I hear Ino snort. "_What?_" I demand.

"If you were _half_ as good to Neji as you are to your weapons you two would be the most loving couple in all of Konoha . . ."

"I only have one love and it's—"

I'm suddenly shoved down to the floor and Ino has her foot on my back.

"_Neji!_" she squeals, digging her heel into my back in warning. "What can I do for you?"

Holy shit. Neji's here? What the hell is he doing here? Does he have to talk to Ino? _Did Ino talk to him!?_ I hadn't even told him about the bet! Oh my god, if Ino blows it I'm totally fucked . . .

"I need flowers."

"Really." I can tell Ino's smirking. "For who?" she asks.

"That's none of your concern." he replies coldly. The ice in his voice is evident. "I need some white lilies."

"O-Ok." She gives me a hard kick in the side and I have the urge to grab her ankle and _throw her down!_ But I don't.

Ino bustles around the shop and grabs some lilies and wraps them in a gold colored paper. She hands it to Neji and he says to put it on the Hyuuga tab. The Hyuuga have a tab here?

I rise to my elbows and blow my bangs out of my face and accidentally hit the box with my arm.

"What was that?" Neji asks.

Ino laughs. "I accidentally kicked a box. It's nothing!"

"Hn."

I can hear the skepticism in his voice and I pray that he won't use his Byakugan on this place because it'd be incredibly embarrassing to have him find me on the floor like this, plus it'd result in a lot of questions.

"Oh, Neji! Tell Tenten I said hi, ok? She hasn't been around much and I—"

"Goodbye, Yamanaka-san."

"_Bye_, Neji!"

I want to laugh at the sugary tone Ino uses but I don't because Neji was still in the shop. Oh my god, I think she has a death wish or something because no one talks like that to Neji, at least, I haven't_seen_ anyone talk to Neji like that. I hear the door open and close and I get on my hands and knees and then to my feet. I hiss at the soreness in my back.

Ino grasps my shoulders and stares me in the eyes. "You _have_ to follow him."

"What? No!"

She shakes me. "I'm serious! Something's happening and I think he bought those flowers for _you_ though I don't know _why_ he picked white lilies when you like irises . . ."

I roll my eyes. "Maybe he didn't buy them for me Ino—"

"Of course he did! Unless," Ino's eyes go wide and she raises a hand to her mouth. "Oh my god, what if he has another girl!?"

I snort. Neji? A girl? The whole idea is laughable.

"I don't think so."

"He's playing you, Tenten! You _must_ find out what's going on!"

"Neji isn't like that." I state flatly. "He would never be unfaithful. It's like, the Hyuuga way."

Ino looks at me with pity. "Ok."

XXXXX

God damn Ino and god damn my curiosity. If it wasn't for them I wouldn't be spying on Neji right now and feeling like an idiot. God, what does it matter if Neji has another girl? It just means that if he gets caught with her the engagement is off—that sounds nice—and it means that I'll be _free_—that sounds even better—and that means I'll be able to get with Anonymous!

And oh my god, _where_ did that last thought come from!?

I watch as Neji lands inside Team 7's training ground and frown. Could it be that he's getting with Sakura? No! She's entirely faithful to Sasuke! Though, if Sasuke really _was_ Anonymous, that would mean that he's not faithful to Sakura, which would mean that I've been—ARGH! Why can't things be simple?

I land in the trees and glare at his back.

What the hell is he doing here?

I look at the grounds, there's no one here, and then I look back around and there's Neji.

Right in front of me.

And I scream, falling backwards on my ass.

His face is expressionless and I want to die.

"N-Neji!" I manage to get out, my voice strangely squeaky and high. "I—"

"You've been following me." he says. "Why."

"I-I didn't even know you were here!" I reply hotly. "I came looking for Sakura!"

Neji levels me with a cold glare. "Haruno-san is currently at Ichiraku with her teammates. If you had paid attention when we passed, you would've noticed as well."

God damn Neji and his god damn eye sight . . .

He studies me for a second and asks, "What are you doing here?"

"I followed you." I snap, turning away pointedly.

"And what were you doing at Yamanaka's?"

"Buying a bouquet of flowers."

"Behind the counter?"

I turn towards him angrily. "Stop using your Byakugan and seeing things that aren't meant to be seen, _Neji_." A faint pink color rises in his cheeks and my jaw drops. "_Are you blushing!?_"

Neji ignores my question and hastily turns around. He coughs before saying, "You never answered my question."

"You haven't answered _mine!_" I retort, then adding, "And maybe I _was_ following you but only because I was really, _really_ bored."

He turns his head slightly and looks at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Did you follow me because of what Yamanaka Ino said? About me have another girl?"

"Were you _listening in on our conversation!?_"

"Did you follow me because of it?"

I open my mouth and shut it immediately because he's hit the nail on the head. God, _why_ did I even follow Ino's advice? It's never good and now look where its gotten me. Here. Alone. With Neji. And I'm going to have to apologize to him. Damn her . . .

"Look," I begin, "I'm sorry. I'll go if you want to be alone—"

"No."

My eyes widen. "What?"

"You can stay if you wish." Neji says. "I'm just here visiting."

"Visiting . . ." I repeat slowly.

"My father's name is etched on the memorial stone here." he replies, voice low and flat. "Today is the anniversary of his death."

"Oh." I say quietly. What else could I say? This wasn't what I was expecting, no where _near_ what I had been expecting. Neji's never told me. Come to think of it, _no one_ in the Hyuuga mention anything about Neji's parents. Even the talks with Hiashi never wandered towards my future husband's deceased parents. "I'm so sorry." I whisper, grabbing his hand and squeezing it affectionately. He stares at it like it's a foreign extremity of his body and I have the sudden urge to roll me eyes and ruffle his hair playfully like he was a puppy because the look in his eyes . . . God, I've never seen someone look so lost and . . . Sad.

XXXXX

"Thank you for coming with me, Tenten."

I can't help the heat that rises to my cheeks and look away.

"Yeah . . . Sure. Anytime, Neji." I smile hesitantly. "If you ever need something . . . Well, I'll always be there . . . And stuff . . . Since we'll be—"

He presses two fingers to my lips to silence me. "I know, Tenten." he replies with a smirk. "You don't have to babble."

I wrench his hand away. "I was not babbling!"

Neji gently brushes his lips against my cheek in a chaste kiss and I can feel my heart pounding. Literally. Blood and heat are racing through my veins and breath stills in my lungs.

"No," he says, giving me that infuriating smirk, "you weren't. I'll see you later Tenten."

He walks away, leaving me standing there like an idiot.

Holy crap, where did that _kiss_ come from?

I touch my cheek, smile despite myself.

And why was he blushing before?

XXXXX

A/N: Reviews are my happy crack.

_Please_ tell me (review, PM, whatever) if this chapter rocked or sucked because I'm having trouble getting back into the whole writing 'thing'. Your comments would be greatly appreciated!


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I'm sure no one expected this. I didn't even expect this and I WROTE the damn thing.

After so much time I know my writing has changed. I don't write exactly as I did three years ago so of course this chapter will not fully be the writing you remember but I tried really hard to get back into the groove. I don't know whether I've succeeded, but you'll be the judge of that.

For those of you who are new readers: welcome. To those who started reading three years ago, sent me lovely reviews, and returned after all that time: welcome back!

* * *

**Neji**

I can't sleep.

The wedding is too close for comfort now. Three months ago it seemed far enough away for me not to worry about, but it's happening in two months.

Two months. I'm turning seventeen in two months. A year ago I never would've imagined this for my future; barely a jonin and already married. I turn over in my bed and frown. This wedding business is getting out of hand. Hiashi wants to invite all the ninja of Konoha and maybe half of the village too and no, don't worry about the expenses because they are all taken care of. Instead, Neji, lets talk about how high of a cake you want! It's enough to make you hate weddings altogether.

My mind is reeling from images of kimonos and haoris.

And on top of that I can't get Tenten out of my mind.

_Why_ did I kiss her that day? How did my impulses get the better of me? Fuck. That definitely wasn't supposed to happen. Now every time I get even close to sleep her image pops up and I _can't fall asleep_.

I throw the covers off and run my hands through my hair.

Frustration is not something I'm accustomed to.

It feels weird.

What is _wrong_ with me?

* * *

Shikamaru takes a drag of his cigarette. "It's simple: You like her."

"That can't be it. Give me something else. Maybe I'm ill."

"You seem fine to me," Naruto offers helpfully.

I successfully ignore the urge to wrap my fingers around his neck. After all, you shouldn't try to kill the people you go to for help. Then again . . . I really only came for Shikamaru's help. No. Murdering someone would put a bad taste in my mouth. It was still pretty early in the day and I don't want to go home and have to explain the blood on my outfit.

Shikamaru sighs and grinds his cigarette butt into the ground. "Look, Neji. Everything you described makes me think you like her."

"That can't be it," I say flatly. "It has to be something else." Because it can't be true. It _can't_. I would know. I'm a fucking _genius_. I wouldn't need these two to tell me. I would know why I have sudden urges to kiss her and touch her. I would know why I can't stop thinking about her . . . Shit . . .

"Is it _that_ bad that you might actually like the girl who's gonna be your wife?"

"Fate isn't that kind," I say.

"Maybe you've earned it."

"I don't know why you're taking such a fatalistic view on this." Naruto fingers the hair hanging in his eyes and says, "I'd be fucking _ecstatic_ if I were you, Neji. Liking a girl and knowing she likes you back is the _best_."

I stare at him for a moment. "You think she likes me?"

"No," he says, "I _know_ she likes you."

"How do you figure that?" I ask, genuinely curious.

"I'm a ninja. Duh."

This time I don't resist the urge to wring his neck.

* * *

**Tenten**

Is it possible to like two guys at once?

I'm beginning to think so because part of me likes Anonymous, but then another part likes Neji.

A lot.

Does this mean our engagement is fate smiling down on me? Giving me some opportunity to be happy with the guy I like? Could this turn into love? Maybe it's too early to think about this. I don't even know if Neji likes me _that_ way. Though he has been acting more friendly. All those gestures and that kiss on my cheek . . . Ugh. Maybe I'm just over thinking this and building up his actions in my mind to fit with some romantic notion I've imagined.

Sakura was right.

I can't believe I _like_ him.

Marriage to Hyuuga Neji . . .

Hyuuga Tenten . . .

God, I am an idiot.

* * *

Seeing Neji at training I realized that today was April 3rd.

Exactly two months till we get married.

I'm less apprehensive about it now that I know him better, but part of me is still a bit annoyed. You're supposed to marry the person you're in love with, right? Well, I can really only speak for myself, but I sure as hell don't love Neji and I'm pretty sure he doesn't love me either.

Maybe this is only an idealized version of a relationship.

You always hear that the right way to progress through one is to meet the other person, start dating, get engaged and then get married and have a family.

You're not supposed to work backwards. It doesn't work out right that way.

Does this mean _our_ marriage is gonna be doomed from the start?

"Tenten, you're getting frown lines."

"Oh, yeah," I say, absently rubbing at my forehead. "That could be a problem."

Neji raises an eyebrow at my comment. "I thought women were supposed to care about those things."

I roll my eyes. "I'm a kunoichi. I don't have time to worry about my appearance."

"That doesn't stop Yamanaka."

"She's a special case."

"Of that I have no doubt."

We've fallen into this routine faster and faster over the last few months. Talking. Just talking. And it's comfortable. Neither of us has any real hope about getting out of this engagement. The Hokage wants it and the Hyuuga clan seems to like me more and more from what I've seen. Hiashi seems particularly fond of having me around because I am an excellent sparring partner for Hinata. Over the last few weeks she has really improved and even bested Neji in the courtyard yesterday.

Neji didn't seem too keen on training today; I wasn't in the mood either. Gai and Lee were using all matter of taijutsu on each other a few meters away and just watching them was enough to make my body feel tired. Sometimes I feel like they do more than enough training for all of us.

"Tenten."

"Hm?"

"Two months from today we're getting married."

He remembers. "You don't say . . ."

Neji abruptly grabs my shoulders and turns me to face him. The contact itself is startling, but not as much as the look on his face. He looks grim as he flexes his fingers on my shoulders.

"I want to make this perfectly clear," he begins and I frown at his tone. "I never expected this to be a loving relationship from the start. I would've been satisfied just knowing we can stand each other's company for more than five seconds, but I realize that might not be what _you_ want. So I want to ask you . . ."

Oh my god.

He is _not_ doing this . . .

". . . I want to know if this is what _you_ want, Tenten."

My brows furrow. "I don't understand. What's the point in asking me this? _Now?_"

Neji sighs. "I am perfectly content with our relationship as it is now, but are you?"

The obvious answer is _yes_ but what I want to say is _no_. I'm not content, not at all. Because I don't know how he feels about _me_. This was one of those things I've learned about Neji over the last three months: he _always_ puts others first.

I absently lay my hand on his wrist. He doesn't fail to notice.

"Content how?" I ask.

"You haven't answered my question yet. Why are you asking another?"

"Because I'm curious, Neji. Content how?"

He studies me for a minute before lowering his hands from my shoulders. Neji stares past me and I turn. Dammit. Gai and Lee are coming . . .

"Beautiful flower of Konoha!" Gai screams.

Lee, equally as exuberant, yells, "Tenten!"

"We'll talk about this later," Neji says.

I scowl. "We'd better . . ."

I can't help but notice the small smirk gracing his lips when he leaves.

* * *

**Neji**

I can understand the whoops and the laughs and the smirks, but was a heavy slap on the back really necessary?

Naruto is sunning himself in the open courtyard a few feet away and absently eating potato chips, the smile of an idiot plastered to his face. Shikamaru and Sasuke play shogi and Lee looks like tears of joy are about to spill over his eyes whenever he looks at me.

This is damn annoying. I shouldn't have said anything to begin with.

I've gradually come to the understanding that I like Tenten. Not tolerate or like as just a friend, but _like_. I was ignoring it for a while, but when the same girl pops up in your dreams for days at a time, at some point you just have to accept the facts and admit it out loud. It took both Shikamaru and Naruto to convince me of it. Naruto even regaled me with his past like of Haruno and what it felt like. In my opinion it was more of a blind infatuation than anything else, but then again I'm no expert in the area of emotion.

Kiba grins at Shino and says, "Who called it?"

"Not you," Chouji replies while munching on chips.

"I _totally_ called in three months ago!"

"Hindsight bias, Kiba."

"I totally did! All you losers, pay up!" Kiba makes a 'gimme' motion with his fingers. When no one moves he glares. "I _know_ some of you guys bet against me on this."

I can feel my annoyance building. "You guys bet on my feelings?" I don't know why I'm so surprised. This is _exactly_ the kind of thing these people would find entertaining.

Shikamaru shrugs unapologetically. "We've got nothing better to do."

Naruto sits up, bracing himself with his elbows. "None of us bet against you, Kiba. It was actually pretty stupid because we all bet the same thing."

"No!" Kiba pulls a small sheet of paper out of his pocket and holds it up for Naruto to see. "Look! Shino and Sasuke bet that he _wouldn't_ like her!"

Sasuke rolls his eyes. "We agreed that we could change bets after observing them the first day."

"That's not how this should work!" he protests.

"What? So I should be punished for _not_ being sentimental like the rest of you?"

"_Yes_, you anal bi—"

I rub my temples. This was giving me a headache.

"Wait," I say, and look at everyone in turn. Everyone is unexpectedly quiet. "You all could see this happening from the beginning?" I'm met with a round of bland looks.

"It was so obvious!" Naruto says.

It must've been, because this statement was coming from Naruto and Naruto wasn't exactly known for his observational skills.

"And she has a great body." Naruto air mimes the curves with his hands while Kiba snickers and Shikamaru nods.

"Fine. Can we not talk about this anymore?" I can't help but be annoyed and add for good measure, "Don't do that again. Ever."

Sasuke smirks and I want to stab him.

Lee grabs my hand and shakes it vigorously and now the tears _do_ spill over. "I am so happy for you and Tenten-san! To be in love—"

I cut him off quickly. "I never said I was in love."

"But you _will_ be someday!" he says, conviction making his eyes flame.

His naïve expectation was expected but I can't help but muse over his words.

How does anyone know if they'll fall in love with someone? From what I've read, love is some weird emotion that makes you do stupid things and think stupid thoughts. Who would want that? I sure as hell don't. Love _makes_ you weak. Love makes you a weak simpering idiot.

Hn.

Why does Lee have to bring up love?

Isn't it enough that I _like_ her?

Hell, it's surprising enough I _like_ someone. I don't like anyone.

And to fall in _love_ with someone?

That's a foreign concept all together.

* * *

**Tenten**

Tonight.

I'm going to tell him I like him tonight.

_I am_ _going_ _to tell him_.

For sure.

For sure . . .

I've been standing outside his door for exactly two minutes. Why can't I get up the nerve to knock?

It's not as if I've never _liked_ someone before. Hell, I liked _Sasuke_ at one point. I mean what girl in Konoha _didn't_ have a crush on him at one point? He makes the old ladies swoon too. Of course I've never told anyone. What was that quote? A woman's heart is a labyrinth of secrets? Whatever. I can only imagine what Sakura and Ino would do if they found out. Run away with my old feelings and blow them up to monumental proportions.

I like you.

_I like you_.

Saying it in my head isn't so bad.

Maybe it gets easier with practice, like throwing a shuriken at a target.

"Tenten?"

I whip around and Neji is standing a few feet behind me.

"Oh," I look to his door, then back at him. "You weren't in your room?"

"I was out visiting some people." He walks past me and opens his bedroom door. "Did you need something?"

"Well," I begin, "no I don't need anything from you. I just wanted to . . . talk for a bit."

He nods in understanding and opens his door wider for me to follow. "Yes, I think it's about time to finish our conversation from earlier."

Neji comes in after me and I look around his room for a place to sit and, finding none, settle for the edge of his bed.

"I don't entertain many visitors in my room," he says wryly as he joins me.

"I can tell." We're both quiet for a minute so I sigh and say, "About earlier—"

"I think I like you."

I don't comprehend the words for a second and then I yell, "_What did you just say!_"

Neji stares straight ahead and says, "I think I like you."

The second time around the words seems less foreign.

"_Since when!_"

He shrugs. "I don't know."

"Are . . ." I look at him at a loss for words. "Are you _sure?_"

"Yes, I'm _sure_, Tenten." He scowls and crosses his arms over his chest. "What a stupid thing to say."

Neji, _the_ Hyuuga Neji, _likes_ me. _Me_. _Hyuuga Neji likes ME_.

He _likes_ me.

Holy shit.

* * *

**Neji**

Tenten seems to be in a permanent state of shock.

Is it that weird that I might like her?

I glance at her and her eyes are still wide and her mouth is still slack with surprise.

Apparently it was.

I gently slap her cheek and she starts immediately.

"Well? Are you done staring?"

Tenten seems to get a hold of her composure and launches herself into my arms, her own encircling my shoulders. I'm too surprised to do anything but pat her awkwardly on the back. All at once I discover that it's really awkward hugging when you're sitting right next to each other. We stay like that for a while, not saying anything.

"Are you lying to me?" she asks finally, voice muffled by my hair.

I try to push her away enough for me to see her face but she holds me tighter and I give up.

"I wouldn't lie about something like this," I say patiently.

"I was supposed to say it first. I was prepared. I was so prepared . . ."

"Are you confessing to me now?"

"No. I was supposed to say it first, Neji."

I ignore her faulty logic and draw circles on her back. She shivers in response and pulls away enough to glare.

"There's no point in me saying I like you anymore," she says, her eyes searching my face. "You already know."

"I've known for a while." A few hours counted as 'a while', right?

"What? How? I never told anyone. I wanted you to be the first."

"Just the way you act. My observational skills are top-notch after all." A lie couldn't hurt either.

"You said you _think_ you like me. What the hell does that mean?"

I shrug and maneuver myself so I'm sitting with my back against the headboard. "I've never liked anyone before, Tenten. I don't know what it feels like. I can only assume it feels like _this_."

She looks at me in confusion. "Then the stuff you mentioned at the training grounds. The part about contentment . . ."

"I was content with the knowledge that I liked you and that you felt similarly, though at the time I didn't know if you had acknowledged it or not."

"Oh." She picks at a loose thread on my bedspread and seems to measure the distance now between us. Tenten frowns and closes it, climbing on my bed and settling next to me with her head on my shoulder. She absently laces her fingers with mine. I don't protest, instead gripping her hand tighter with my own. "So what happens now?" she asks.

I answer honestly: "I don't know. Do you think this will change anything between us?"

Tenten sighs and presses closer to my side. "I hope not. I like what we have. This."

I didn't say it out loud because it was embarrassing, but I liked it too.

More than I wanted to admit.

Tenten suddenly lifts her head and looks at me. "Hey."

"Hm?"

"Say it again."

I pretend not to know what she means. "Say what again?"

"You know," she growls. "Don't make me beat it out of you."

I cover my eyes with my free hand and feel my cheeks heating up. "Don't make me repeat myself. It's embarrassing."

"You haven't really said you like me yet. You said you _think_ you do."

"Neither have you," I remind her, lifting my hand from my eyes. She turns red the second my eyes land on her. It's interesting to watch, her reactions to the things I do. "Are you going to change that?"

She seems to think about what I say before taking my hand away from my face and pressing her lips to mine. The kiss is short, shorter than I would've liked, but the whole time I could feel her lips mouthing the words 'I like you' against my own.

* * *

A/N: What do you think? Reviews are my happy crack! (I haven't typed that in a few years!)


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